LA Knight set for title defense on WWE SmackDown - Report

The Men's United States Champion on Friday Night SmackDown, LA Knight, is a man of his word. Since winning the belt in August, he has consistently defended it on the flagship show and tonight is no different.

WWE SmackDown will air live from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens are finally going to meet face-to-face. Tensions are sure to be high after everything that happened in recent weeks, from Owens injuring Randy Orton and Rhodes challenging the blue brand's sheriff Nick Aldis for making the decision to keep The Prizefighter off television.

Bianca Belair, Chelsea Green, and Blair Davenport will be in action tonight as one of them will advance in the tournament to crown the inaugural Women's United States Champion. These segments have been announced already. Meanwhile, WrestleVotes reports that LA Knight will defend the Men's US Title against Santos Escobar this week.

The Megastar successfully retained his belt against Berto last week after being confronted by Legado Del Fantasma, setting up Santos Escobar as his next challenger.

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But a Wayward Samurai is looming around LA Knight

Shinsuke Nakamura returned to WWE last Friday, catching LA Knight off-guard after the latter just retained the United States title. Nakamura did not speak and simply walked away after kicking Knight in the face.

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T believes Knight's lost luster will be regained with this program. According to Booker, Shinsuke Nakamura is someone who can help elevate both the title and its holder:

"I like that matchup as well. LA Knight needs something to spark his flame again. It seems like he’s gone dim just a little bit. Seems like that star has dimmed just a little bit. So I think Shinsuke Nakamura will definitely be the right person. I love Shinsuke. I love everything about him. He's that silent killer, that assassin, that ninja. So yeah, I like that," Booker T said.

How the former Royal Rumble winner follows up with last week's attack, and moreover, how The Megastar retaliates, is sure to spark intrigue among viewers. Whether Nakamura ultimately wins the US Title for a third time in his career bears watching.