Shinsuke Nakamura successfully retained his WWE United States Championship after a dramatic rematch with LA Knight on WWE SmackDown, which ended in a disqualification due to interference from The Bloodline. Knight had been seeking to reclaim the title he lost to Nakamura at Survivor Series in November. His pursuit of the championship had involved several confrontations with members of The Bloodline, including Solo Sikoa, and he even clashed with the faction in tag team and singles bouts.
In this rematch, Knightâs efforts were hindered by Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga, who had previously clashed with Jimmy Uso and WWE officials earlier in the night. Their interference proved pivotal during the match, as they returned to assault Knight while he was in a favorable position, leading to the referee calling for a disqualification. However, the title did not change hands, keeping Nakamura’s reign intact.
The beatdown from Fatu and Tonga was interrupted by a run-in from Jimmy Uso and Cody Rhodes, who came to Knight’s aid. Officials intervened to separate the brawling parties, and Cody Rhodes suggested that General Manager Nick Aldis book a tag team match between the involved competitors. Aldis agreed to the suggestion, setting up an exciting tag team clash later in the evening. Despite the chaos, Nakamura retained his title, continuing his third reign as United States Champion.