Kevin Owens Wins WWE US Title Tournament, Will Face Logan Paul At Royal Rumble

"WWE SmackDown" opened with a bang Friday night as Kevin Owens defeated Santos Escobar to win the WWE United States Championship No.1 Contender's Tournament, with reigning US Champion Logan Paul on commentary. With the victory, Owens will face Paul with the US title on the line at WWE Royal Rumble.

Before the match even started, Escobar's former associates in Legado del Fantasma, Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro, neutralized his latest cronies Angel Garza and Humberto. Later, while Escobar was distracted, Owens came in hot with a cannonball and a splash off the top rope, which pleased Paul. Escobar spent most of the match focusing on the broken hand of his opponent, even stepping on his fingers outside the ring; Paul, meanwhile, sarcastically played to the crowd as "Logan sucks!" chants rained down.

After Owens planted Escobar with a DDT, followed by a suplex from the top rope and a cannonball off the apron — much to the enjoyment of the Vancouver audience, Owens' fellow Canadians — Santos countered by getting his knees up when Owens went up top. Owens would ultimately hit a Pop-Up Powerbomb followed by a Stunner to book his ticket for the Rumble. When the match was over, Paul got on the microphone, telling Owens that him winning the US title would be like "the Canucks winning the Stanley Cup ... it's never gonna happen." Owens responded in typical Owens fashion — by knocking Paul out with a single blow from his cast.

Owens' tournament win comes as the result of three consecutive victories over former US Champion Austin Theory, for "NXT" Champion Carmelo Hayes, and Escobar. Bobby Lashley, Dragon Lee, Karrion Kross, and Grayson Waller also participated, with Lee and Lashley falling to Escobar along his path to the finals.