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Nick Aldis to bring back former Royal Rumble winner on WWE SmackDown after 179 days away? Exploring the possibility

By Rahul Patnaik
Modified Oct 14, 2024 12:35 IST
Nick Aldis is the General Manager of Friday Night SmackDown [Image credits: wwe.com]
Nick Aldis is the General Manager of Friday Night SmackDown [Image credits: wwe.com]

LA Knight defended his United States Championship against Carmelo Hayes on the latest episode of WWE SmackDown. The Megastar successfully retained his title after catching Hayes with a BFT out of nowhere.

SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis will likely evaluate the rest of the roster to find the next challenger for Knight's US title. One possible contender could be the returning Shinsuke Nakamura.

The King of Strong Style was last seen on WWE TV on the April 22, 2024, episode of RAW, where he lost to Sheamus. He was later drafted to SmackDown, where he has yet to make his first appearance following the move.

Given his recent live events appearance, it's highly likely that Nakamura will be Knight's next challenger. The 44-year-old recently faced Knight at a house show in Cardiff, where he came up short. This could indicate the direction WWE plans to take once the 2018 Men's Royal Rumble winner returns to SmackDown.

WWE Superstar LA Knight wants new challengers

LA Knight has enjoyed a string of successful title defenses since winning the United States Championship at SummerSlam. He has already taken down formidable challengers like Santos Escobar, Andrade, and, most recently, Carmelo Hayes.

In a recent interview following SmackDown, Knight confidently stated that everyone wants a shot at his US title, but for his challengers, it always ends the same way- with a BFT for their troubles. He then issued a challenge, urging new contenders to step up and try their luck against him.

"The bottom line is, Melo, Andrade, everybody's coming for this [United States Title]. Why is that? Because everybody wants it. Why you should [sic] want it? Look at it. It's beautiful, but it's mine. Unfortunately, the way that goes is you catch BFT, you catch three the hard way, and what that means is I've beaten both of you; I don't know why you're still knocking on my door. If you need to get beat again, you will get beat again. The bottom line is, I hit, I quit it. New challengers, come on up," he said.

It will be interesting to see what's next for The Megastar moving forward.