LA Knight to lose his belt due to injury; AJ Styles to shock everyone? 4 possible finishes for his US Title match against Carmelo Hayes on SmackDown

WWE Friday Night SmackDown will be back with a brand new episode later tonight. The show has recently undergone major changes, moving from FOX to the USA Network. As part of the move, the show has new graphics and a new theme song.

The new era of SmackDown has led to strong weekly shows and it looks like tonight's edition of the blue brand will continue that trend. Two championship bouts have already been confirmed for tonight's SmackDown, as has the appearance of Roman Reigns.

One of the title bouts will see the United States Championship put on the line. The reigning champion LA Knight will take on Carmelo Hayes. This comes after Melo defeated AJ Styles last week, albeit under dubious means.

This article will take a look at a handful of possible finishes for the big championship bout. This includes a surprise return, interference from a former champion, and a big title change taking place that will leave fans shocked.

Below are four possible finishes for LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes for the United States Championship on WWE SmackDown.

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#4. LA Knight could win cleanly on WWE SmackDown

LA Knight's run as the WWE United States Champion has been a thrill ride. He first won the title by defeating Logan Paul at SummerSlam just a few months ago. While Logan barely defended the prized title, Knight has been completely the opposite.

Since capturing the belt, Knight already has had three successful championship defenses. He first defeated Santos Escobar to retain the title. From there, he went on to defeat Ludwig Kaiser and Andrade in singles competition.

When Knight and Hayes clash on SmackDown tonight, Carmelo could face the same fate as The Megastar's prior opponents. Melo might eat the BFT and get pinned in the center of the ring fair and square. From there, Knight will move on to his next challenger.

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#3. Andrade could cost Carmelo Hayes the win

As noted, LA Knight defeated Andrade in a WWE United States Championship match. Despite Knight's victory, the bout was extremely close and there was clear tension afterward when LA offered Andrade a handshake.

El Idolo has been regularly feuding with Carmelo Hayes, however, their issues are much more serious than Andrade and Knight's. The two have gotten in multiple backstage brawls and have wrestled on WWE television around half a dozen times in a few months.

Given the animosity between Melo and Andrade, El Idolo likely wouldn't want Carmelo to accomplish something he hasn't. As a result, Andrade could interfere in the bout and cost Hayes the win. This would then lead to the two men wrestling once more. Perhaps he trips Melo up behind the referee's back?

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#2. Melo could injure LA Knight and win the title

Carmelo Hayes earned the WWE United States Championship through questionable means. The agreement heading into the bout was that if he defeated AJ Styles, LA Knight would go to Nick Aldis and try to get Melo a title match.

Unfortunately, AJ Styles got hurt in his match with Carmelo Hayes. It isn't clear what happened, but it seems as if The Phenomenal One couldn't quite keep up with his quick and young opponent. That could end up being replicated on WWE SmackDown tonight.

Knight is still in fantastic shape, but he isn't as young or as quick as Carmelo. In an effort to keep up with Hayes, Knight too could end up getting injured. If he does, Carmelo will target the injury and win the title, either via submission or via referee stoppage. If it happened to the leader of The O.C., it could happen to The Megastar.

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#1. AJ Styles could return and interfere in the match

AJ Styles' injury on WWE SmackDown last week was quite unfortunate. The Phenomenal One had just returned that very same night. Not only did he return, but Styles turned babyface after having been heel during his feud with Cody Rhodes.

Fans were excited to see AJ, but the injury now makes his status up in the air. There is a chance, however, that the WWE legend could be in better shape than fans realize. If that's the case, he might make a splash on Friday Night SmackDown.

When Melo and Knight go at it, AJ Styles could return mid-match and lay Carmelo Hayes out. Given his history with LA Knight, he might take out The Megastar too. This would result in a draw or the match between Hayes and Knight being thrown out altogether. While that result would be unfortunate, AJ not having to be out for an extended period of time would be great news.