Shinsuke Nakamura retained his WWE United States Championship after a chaotic and interference-filled rematch against LA Knight on WWE SmackDown. Knight had been seeking to reclaim the title he lost to Nakamura at Survivor Series in November. Since then, Knight’s path to redemption had been intertwined with The Bloodline, as he faced off with various members of the faction in both tag team and singles action.
However, during this particular rematch, the interference of Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga from the faction was the turning point. The two men had previously confronted Jimmy Uso and several WWE officials before the match, and this interaction would come back to haunt Knight. As the match progressed, Fatu and Tonga re-entered the scene, attacking Knight and causing the referee to call for a disqualification, meaning Knight did not win the title back.
Although Fatu and Tonga’s assault on Knight continued, it was interrupted by a run-in from Jimmy Uso and Cody Rhodes, who rushed to Knightâs aid. Officials came out to separate the brawling parties, and during the chaos, Rhodes convinced WWE General Manager Nick Aldis to make a tag team match between the involved competitors later in the evening.
This match was expected to be Nakamura’s first title defense since claiming the US Championship for the third time 42 days ago. Despite the interruption and the disqualification, Nakamura retained his title, keeping the spotlight on him as the reigning United States Champion.