Folks, the one and only LA Knight is making waves in the WWE, and he’s just made it crystal clear that he’s here to stay! On Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown, Knight successfully defended his WWE United States Championship for the first time, squaring off against the always-dangerous Santos Escobar. This comes hot on the heels of Knight’s thrilling victory over Logan Paul at WWE SummerSlam, where he clinched the title in a match that had more twists than a pretzel factory.
The night kicked off with some underhanded shenanigans—classic WWE style—as Legado del Fantasma’s Angel and Berto tried to soften up Knight with a sneak attack. But in a move that screamed “not on my watch,” the referee wasted no time tossing them, along with Elektra Lopez, out of the arena faster than you can say “YEAH!” With the riffraff gone, the match officially began.
Knight, ever the opportunist, went for a quick roll-up, but Escobar wasn’t having it. He threw Knight into the corner and hit a piledriver that probably made the folks at home spill their nachos. But Knight, tough as a two-dollar steak, fought back, slamming Escobar’s face into the announce table with such force that the monitors nearly went flying into the crowd. Escobar, though, is no slouch. He turned the tables—literally—by sending Knight crashing face-first into that same table and then hitting a breathtaking Meteora. And when he followed up with a frog splash off the top rope, everyone thought it was all over but the shouting. But this is LA Knight we’re talking about—he kicked out at two and showed everyone why he’s the champ.
The match raged on with both men trading blows like it was a heavyweight boxing match. Knight, digging deep into his bag of tricks, managed to block Escobar’s high-flying offense, delivering a back elbow, a clothesline, and a sidewalk slam that nearly got him the win. Escobar, not to be outdone, nailed a high kick that echoed through the arena. But when they both went up top, it was Knight who pushed Escobar off the top rope, followed by an agile springboard flying elbow that had the crowd on their feet. He then sealed the deal with his signature BFT, retaining his title in a match that could headline any pay-per-view.
Afterward, Escobar found himself in the middle of a backstage brawl with Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews, signaling that his sights are set elsewhere—perhaps wisely moving on from the unyielding force that is LA Knight. But Knight wasn’t done. Later in the episode, he swaggered back on screen to announce an open challenge for next week, daring anyone and everyone to step up and take a shot at his U.S. Title.
This, folks, is what a fighting champion looks like—someone who not only talks the talk but walks the walk. Next week’s open challenge? It’s going to be yuge, believe me!