LA Knight Regains WWE US Title From Shinsuke Nakamura

Third time seems to be the charm. After losing the title to Shinsuke Nakamura and coming up short in his first rematch, LA Knight has reclaimed the United States Championship, and is now a two-time United States titleholder.

Knight and Nakamura clashed in the main event of Friday's "WWE SmackDown" for the title, and even as Nakamura was making his entrance, Knight was itching to get his hands on Nakamura. As soon as the opening bell began, "The Megastar" charged at the champion like a bull. While Nakamura attempted to fight back in the opening goings of the match, the gap between Nakamura and Knight grew wider and wider as the contest progressed.

Knight's iconic Superplex punctuated the beginning of the end for Nakamura. Knight followed up the Superplex with a top-rope elbow to the champion, but when he attempted to secure the win with a follow-up BFT, however, Nakamura slid out to procure a steel chair. The referee quickly got involved, and the match devolved into chaos as Nakamura sprayed a mouthful of red mist onto the official. With the referee downed, Knight was able to land a BFT onto Nakamura's steel chair, and secured the three-count shortly after a back-up referee ran in.

Nakamura's third title reign has ended, and Knight's second run with the United States Championship has begun. Nakamura won the United States Championship for a third time at Survivor Series 2024, when he defeated Knight in a clean upset just a few weeks after his WWE return. Nakamura has only ever defended his title against Knight in his 98-day long reign, with their first rematch occurring on the January 10 episode of "SmackDown." Knight earned the right to another rematch against Nakamura on the February 28 episode of "SmackDown," when he won an impromptu, one-night-only tournament to become Nakamura's next challenger.