Well, folks, it looks like WWE has once again decided that “plans” are more of a suggestion than a guarantee. According to PWInsider Elite, the advertised United States Championship match between LA Knight and Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown this Friday has been scrapped—because apparently, straightforward title shots are just too easy. Instead, WWE is throwing together a No. 1 Contender’s Tournament to decide who actually gets to face Nakamura for the gold.
What’s the New Plan?
Instead of Knight vs. Nakamura II, Friday’s SmackDown will now feature a three-match first round, followed by a Triple Threat Final to determine who really deserves the title shot. Here’s the bracket:
🔥 LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar (Can Knight yaaaah his way back into contention?)
💀 Jacob Fatu vs. Andrade (Two guys who can kill you in completely different ways)
🏋️♂️ Carmelo Hayes vs. Braun Strowman (Speed vs. Raw Power—literally)
The winners of these matches will then face off in a triple threat match later in the night, with the victor earning a future match against Nakamura.
How Did We Get Here?
Originally, this all stemmed from Nakamura attacking Knight last week during his match with R-Truth against Carmelo Hayes and The Miz. WWE, in all its wisdom, decided this attack warranted a title match—but now, that’s out the window, because, well, WWE booking logic.
This whole feud has been going on since Survivor Series, when Nakamura defeated Knight for the U.S. Title. Now, instead of an immediate rematch, Knight has to win a whole tournament just to get another shot. Makes perfect sense, right?
Either way, Friday’s SmackDown just got a lot more unpredictable. Will Knight fight his way back to Nakamura? Will Jacob Fatu bulldoze his way to a title shot? Or will Andrade or Carmelo Hayes sneak in and steal the spotlight? Ya just gotta tune in to find out.