WWE SmackDown is on the road to WrestleMania 41. After a jaw-dropping Elimination Chamber event, where John Cena sold his soul to The Rock, as well as a shocking title change between Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley on Raw, the March 7, 2025 edition of SmackDown showcased another title change, in which LA Knight dethroned Shinsuke Nakamura to win back the U.S. Title. Granted, unlike Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley, this title change was not shocking by any means. It was actually warranted because Nakamura's U.S. Title reign was eminently uneventful and a complete waste of time.
Shinsuke Nakamura dethroned LA Knight back at Survivor Series 2024 after returning to the WWE with a repackaged character. Although Nakamura needed the win to solidify his new character, there was minimal buildup for his chase towards the U.S. Title. He won the U.S. Title two weeks after introducing his new character, which left the fans minimal time to digest any efforts he put into his character development. Also, that title change in November hindered LA Knight's momentum, as he was gradually bringing prestige back to the U.S. Title that Logan Paul tarnished.
To make matters even worse, WWE did not even book Nakamura as an important U.S. Champion on the blue brand. The character development did not continue. He was barely defending the championship. He was not booked like a big red target. Instead, Nakamura was booked as an afterthought and thereby a placeholder champion. That title change in November not only harmed the momentum of LA Knight and Shinsuke Nakamura but also depleted the prestige of the U.S. Title even more than Paul already did when he defended the title only 2 times in the course of 10 months.
LA Knight was the best option to rebuild the WWE US Championship
With that being said, LA Knight clearly should not have lost the U.S. Title in the first place. In fact, that title match between Knight and Nakamura should have never been booked if WWE truly had a long-term vision for both men. Furthermore, Nakamura has already graduated from the mid-card scene and should be competing in the main event scene for the world title or at least being a gatekeeper for the main event scene in the upper mid-card vortex. LA Knight, on the other hand, needed this title reign to solidify his popularity with the fan base and prove that he could be a future world champion.
Now, LA Knight has to start from scratch again after only holding the title for 3 months in his first run due to egregious booking. Hopefully, he is not a transitional champion again on the road to WrestleMania, where WWE loves to book title changes in excess. Nonetheless, at the end of the day, if LA Knight drops the title to anyone for this second run, it should be to Carmelo Hayes, an NXT Call Up, former NXT World Champ, and rising star on the main roster who should have won a title by now, just like his fellow NXT graduates in Bron Breakker, Tiffany Stratton, and Lyra Valkyria.
The U.S. Title is supposed to be utilized as an emblem of opportunity for those professional wrestlers who want to make a name for themselves on the weekly shows and be the workhorses of the brand. While the bigger main event stars save their in-ring energy for the PPV and tell their stories through segments on the weekly shows, it is up to the mid carders to perform in-ring and steal the show on Raw and SmackDown. That way, they can bring prestige to the U.S. Title and prove the value they can potentially add to a world title if they were to become a future world champion down the line.
Instead, the U.S. Title is being taken for granted and booked like a joke. Withhout a strongly booked mid card, the scheme of long term booking will shatter and the structure of the roster will dissipate. From having the likes of great U.S. Champions like Harley Race, MVP, Ric Flair, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and John Cena, it is pretty disappointing to see how the U.S. Title is treated in this era of the WWE. Hopefully, WWE does not make the same mistake again with Knight because he has proven that he is more than a walking catchphrase and can be a future world champion, both in-ring and on the mic.
If you're not down with just that and would like even more WWE SmackDown Coverage from Mark Justice, check out more of his articles right here on Daily DDT and subscribe to his new YouTube channel by clicking HERE.