Jacob Fatu is one of the quickest rising stars in WWE and at WrestleMania 41, he takes on one of last year's quickest rising stars, U.S. Champion LA Knight. The night-one match for the United States Championship should be one of the hardest-hitting of the evening.
Many think Fatu is penciled-in to be the winner because of his meteoric rise to this point. However, WWE could swerve fans yet again by continuing Knight's title reign.
Why LA Knight should retain vs. Jacob Fatu at WrestleMania 41:
LA Knight should not be a transitional United States Champion for a second time
LA Knight needs this title reign to solidify his popularity with the fan base and prove he could be a future world champion. When he lost the title to Nakamura in November, it hindered his momentum, as he was gradually bringing prestige back to the U.S. Title that Logan Paul tarnished.
That in itself was a bad call by WWE, especially since Nakamura did not need the U.S. Title and his title reign was uneventful. Now that Knight just won back the title, making him a transitional champion again would be a mistake, as it would make the fans take him less seriously on his path to becoming a megastar.
Jacob Fatu would not be hurt by a loss
Jacob Fatu has had an incredible start to his run on the main roster since joining The Bloodline. Although he has done an impeccable job and it would be wise for WWE to strike while the iron is hot with him, Fatu would not be necessarily hurt by this loss. He has so much going for him right now and can easily lose here and pick up the win later at a SummerSlam or some other B-level PPV.
The fact that he is receiving this opportunity to showcase his skills in a singles title match at Mania this early in his career is already an accomplishment. WWE just has to make sure that this loss isn't clean.
Solo Sikoa should screw Jacob Fatu to set up that feud
To protect Fatu in defeat, Solo Sikoa should screw Jacob Fatu to get revenge for Fatu taking his spot in the U.S. Title hunt.
WWE has been planting seeds of dissension for The Bloodline in recent weeks, so it would be wise for them to capitalize on that tension in this high-stakes matchup. Despite this loss, this will also ensure that Fatu has a major feud in the summer that he can sink his teeth into to develop his character some more and elicit a deeper connection with the fanbase.
That way, when he eventually wins the U.S. Title, he can focus on that reign rather then Bloodline obstacles in his path.