The United States Championship is one of the companyâ€s most defended titles, and thereâ€s a reason for that. Open challenges give new competitors a chance to show off, and this week was no exception.
WWE SmackDown took place on October 31 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The same venue will hold Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event on November 1. The crowd filled the arena and was ready for the buildup to Saturdayâ€s show. That included a US Title match.
Ilja Dragunov won the United States Title in shocking fashion during the October 17 episode of SmackDown. He will carry on John Cena and Sami Zaynâ€s legacy with the title, so the open challenge continued.
This match went down as the first contest of the night. Fans had no idea who would come out to face the US Champion, and then Axiom came out. Nathan Frazer was in his ring gear, and he was ready for a fight. Tommaso Ciampa came out to disrupt them. He didnâ€t want Frazer to get a shot, and he mocked the idea that Frazer could get that opportunity. To that, Dragunov said that itâ€s an open opportunity, and the match carried on.
This match carried on, and it stretched through a commercial break. Dragunov was busted open in the process, but Nathan Frazer wasnâ€t able to put the champion away. There were several near falls as fans in Salt Lake City cheered both competitors in this match on.
Fans chanted “this is awesome†as they continued, and Nathan Frazer continued with a chopped up chest, as it resembled hamburger meat. Frazer was able to land a massive dive, but he got a near fall prior to another commercial break. This match went way longer than some may have first thought.
The match kept going, and Frazer nailed a Phoenix Splash for a near fall. This was his match to lose at a point, but Dragunov kept kicking out. Fans started another “this is awesome†chant as the contest continued. Frazer also kicked out of everything that the champion could throw at him. Both men were certainly leaving it all in the ring. Eventually, Dragunov nailed his H-Bomb finisher and got the pin to retain his title.
Although the champion retained his title, Nathan Frazer certainly took him to the limit. Only time will tell how long he will keep that title, but Frazer also earned his respect as they hugged it out in the middle of the ring.
After that, as Nathan Frazer was leaving, Tommaso Ciampa ran in with a sneak attack and took the Fraxiom member down. He obviously had some bad blood remaining after not getting a shot at the US Title. We will have to see how long it takes for Ciampa to get a title shot of his own.
Whatâ€s your take on how the US Title has been booked on SmackDown? Do you think that the title is in the right hands? Let us know what you think in the comments section!
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