In what can only be described as a real-life Rocky sequel—except with way more spandex and dramatically longer entrances—LA Knight defended his United States Championship on WWE SmackDown. The twist? The challenger wasn’t some homegrown superstar from Philly but the pride of Germany, Ludwig Kaiser, who strutted into the ring like he was about to annex the US title and rebrand it as the “Kaiserreich Championship.”
Before the match, Kaiser boldly declared that upon his inevitable victory, he’d turn the belt into his very own European Championship. Clearly, the man had already booked a victory parade down Unter den Linden and had “We Are the Champions” on repeat in his head. Spoiler alert: He should have downloaded “Eye of the Tiger” instead.
From the get-go, it looked like we were in for an international incident. Knight and Kaiser were evenly matched, both dishing out blows like they were playing a high-stakes game of rock-paper-scissors—if rock-paper-scissors involved slamming your opponent into every available surface. Knight took the brawl outside the ring, where Kaiser’s German efficiency was on full display. He practically treated Knight like a bratwurst at Oktoberfest, bouncing him off the ring apron, the ring steps, and possibly a few fans’ beers in the front row.
Kaiser wasn’t just in control; he was practically filing paperwork for his new US-Euro title hybrid. But LA Knight, as American as apple pie (if apple pie could clothesline you into next week), wasn’t having any of it. After a quick stop at the commercial break diner, Knight was back with a vengeance, sending Kaiser on a scenic tour of the German announce desk with a detour via the top rope.
Knight hit Kaiser with a neck breaker so clean it could have doubled as a chiropractic adjustment, followed by an elbow drop from the second rope that had enough patriotic fervor to make Uncle Sam shed a tear. But Kaiser, still dreaming of his European title coup, kicked out and tried to rally with a Death Valley Driver that looked like it might require Knight to submit his passport at customs. Not once, but twice, Knight kicked out, defying both gravity and Kaiser’s dreams of a unified wrestling belt.
In the final act of this international showdown, Knight countered Kaiser’s attempt at something probably very efficient and European, then delivered his signature BFT (Blunt Force Trauma, for those keeping score at home) to put Kaiser down for the count.
The bell rang, the Berlin crowd sighed in collective disbelief, and Knight stood tall with his United States Championship firmly in hand, proving once again that American exceptionalism is alive, well, and just hit you with a BFT from the top rope.