LA Knight Becomes Number One Contender for the United States Championship

LA Knight has solidified his position as the next challenger for the United States Championship after earning a hard-fought victory on SmackDown.

Knight secured the title opportunity by winning a high-stakes triple threat match against Carmelo Hayes and Jacob Fatu. The match's conclusion saw Fatu deliver a Swanton Bomb to Hayes, but before he could secure the pinfall, Knight pulled Fatu out of the ring and capitalized by covering Hayes for the win.

Originally, Knight was scheduled to challenge reigning champion Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown. However, just hours before the show aired, General Manager Nick Aldis announced via social media that while Knight believed he was the rightful number one contender, Nakamura did not share the same view. As a result, a mini-tournament was set up to determine the official challenger.

In the opening round, Knight defeated Santos Escobar, Jacob Fatu—who replaced Solo Sikoa—overcame Andrade, and Carmelo Hayes advanced by defeating Braun Strowman via disqualification. The three winners then clashed in a triple threat match, where Knight emerged victorious to officially claim his shot at the United States Championship.

Knight will now get his rematch against Nakamura, who is currently in his third reign as United States Champion after defeating Knight for the title at Survivor Series.

⚡ WWE Smackdown Results - February 28, 2025

Tonight on SmackDown, a No1 Contender's Tournament for WWE's United States Champion consisting of three matches will be held - Andrade -vs- [...]

— Patrick A Ganczewski Feb 28, 2025 11:39PM