In the wake of snatching the United States Championship from Logan Paul at the WWE SummerSlam 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio, LA Knight delivered a fired-up speech on the August 9th SmackDown episode, reflecting on his victory.
This speech, however, was uncivilly interrupted by Santos Escobar and the Legado del Fantasma group, who disparaged Knight, questioning his worthiness as a champion and ridiculing his signature phrases. Escobar’s intention was to build himself up as the ensuing challenger for the United States title, a right he would need to win by defeating Andrade in the No. 1 contender’s match.
Without skipping a beat, Escobar and El Idolo faced off in a highly-charged match, with Escobar emerging as the victor through underhanded tactics. With the help of Carmelo Hayes’ interference to disadvantage Andrade, Escobar secured his title opportunity.
Santos Escobar is the new #1 Contender for LA Knight’s US title! 🤩#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/tEqwy7Ewaw
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) August 10, 2024
The forthcoming match between Escobar and Knight for the coveted United States Championship does not yet have a confirmed date. Nonetheless, with the WWE Bash in Berlin event on the horizon, we can speculate that this heavyweight clash might take place either at this premium live event or during an upcoming episode of Friday Night SmackDown, possibly within the same week.
Undeniably, Andrade will be itching for payback against Hayes. However, the specifics of a face-off between the pair remain uncertain.
Keep an eye on eWrestlingNews.com for more updates regarding these escalating rivalries, and don’t hesitate to share your predictions on whether you believe Escobar has a chance to dethrone Knight as the US champion by sharing your thoughts below!