Logan Paul is challenging for the richest prize in sports-entertainment once again. As revealed this past Friday on WWE SmackDown, Paul will face WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at WWE King and Queen of the Ring later this month. Paul previously challenged for the WWE Championship against then-titleholder Roman Reigns at WWE Crown Jewel 2022 when it was known as the Undisputed WWE Universal Title. This segment seemed to set the stage of Rhodes vs. Paul being just for the WWE Championship, but activity on social media in the hours that followed told a different story. Rhodes tweeted that the match would be “for all the gold.”
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WWE’s History of Unifying United States Title With Other Titles
Before we dive into whether WWE will actually pull the trigger on a unification bout at WWE King and Queen of the Ring, it’s important to revisit the history of when the United States Championship has been involved in “for all the gold” matches.
The United States Title was brought to WWF upon the company’s purchase of WCW in 2001. This first stretch only lasted eight months, as the United States Championship was merged with the WWF Intercontinental Championship at WWF Survivor Series 2001 that November. Come July 2003, the star-spangled gold was reactivated, with Eddie Guerrero capturing it in a tournament that summer.
In terms of a United States Champion challenging for the WWE Championship, it first nearly happened at WWE WrestleMania 21 in 2005. Then-champion John Cena had already solidified that he was challenging for the WWE Championship at the Showcase of the Immortals but lost his United States Title just one month before WWE WrestleMania 21.
Ten years later, Cena would get the chance again. As WWE United States Champion, Cena challenged then-WWE Champion Seth Rollins at WWE SummerSlam 2015 in a bout that had both prizes on the line. Rollins would win the bout thanks to outside interference and leave the event with both titles. He defended each prize individually, leading to him eventually losing just the WWE United States Title to Cena the following month but keeping the WWE Championship in the process.
Will WWE Unify Rhodes and Paul’s Titles?
While there is historical precedence for this move, it feels extremely unlikely that WWE will actually put both the WWE Championship and WWE United States Title on one man moving forward. That said, if Rhodes vs. Paul is set for all the gold when the bell rings, there are a couple of ways that WWE could conclude the contest without a unified champion emerging.
Rhodes and Paul could end in a double pin. Unlike a double count out, which makes both competitors just seem exhausted, a double pin would keep Rhodes looking strong while also propelling Paul to being a superstar that is on the WWE Champion’s level. Considering WWE SummerSlam is in Paul’s hometown of Cleveland this August, it’s in WWE’s best interest to keep rising the social media star’s stock going into that event.
Other than that, outside forces could leave Rhodes vs. Paul without a decisive winner due to a disqualification. Both Rhodes and Paul have plenty of enemies in the WWE locker room, but the most optimal adversary to interfere would be the mystery man behind the recent QR code teases: Uncle Howdy.
WWE has been running teases for Bo Dallas’s return to WWE programming for over one month now. When nothing happened at WWE Backlash, fans have expected that WWE King and Queen of the Ring will be the site that the hints culminate at.
Having Uncle Howdy and the rumored WYATT 6 stable crash the WWE King and Queen of the Ring main event is tricky, as it would indicate that the sinister force would then go on to feud with either Rhodes or Paul. Based on how Bray Wyatt’s first run as The Fiend went, this spooky group should be kept far away from championships and instead pursue grudge feuds with title-less members of the WWE roster.
It is possible to pull this off, as Bray Wyatt’s WWE return in October 2022 had him interrupt the end of Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins despite never going on to have a storyline with either, but it has to be pulled off with ultimate precision.
WWE King and Queen of the Ring goes down on Saturday, May 25th.
