Last night’s “WWE SmackDown” was a clinic in climbing the ladder—sometimes literally—to championship glory. Title shots were up for grabs, and the superstars wasted no time getting their hands on them, or at least getting a little bit closer. With opportunities in the air like confetti at a New Year’s Eve party, the night delivered a flurry of action that had fans on the edge of their seats, popcorn in hand, and Twitter fingers at the ready.
In the show’s opener, Cody “The American Nightmare” Rhodes offered Kevin Owens a title shot because, apparently, charity starts in the ring. Not to be outdone, Santos Escobar battled Andrade for the coveted United States Championship contender spot, and despite a bout that was as evenly matched as a coin toss, Escobar found his winning edge thanks to a timely distraction from Carmelo Hayes. One quick roll-up later, and Escobar was punching his ticket to face the new US Champion, LA Knight, who undoubtedly was too busy admiring his reflection to notice the brewing storm.
Meanwhile, in the tag team division, it was survival of the fittest—or perhaps just the most stubborn. The Street Profits took down A-Town Down Under to move forward in a mini-tournament that’s as much about bragging rights as it is about belts. On the flip side, Pretty Deadly had a less glamorous night, getting shown the door by DIY, the former champions still smarting from their recent loss to the Tongan wrecking crew, Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu.
With the dust still settling, the WWE Universe is left to speculate when these freshly minted title shots will be cashed in. Until then, the anticipation is building faster than Escobar’s momentum as he eyes that shiny United States Championship. One thing’s for sure—whoever holds the gold is going to have their hands full in the weeks to come.