WWE SmackDown featured two semi-final matches in the United States Title Tournament. NXT’s Carmelo Hayes vs. Kevin Owens and Santos Escobar vs. Bobby Lashley. Lashley was the fan-favorite heading into the match, despite him being a heel. He’s been incredibly dominant since his return over the summer. Lashley started the match with a lot of momentum and was able to hang onto the for the better part of the match. Thanks to a distraction by two masked men, Escobar walks out of the match as a finalist for the United States Championship.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Lashley immediately attacks Escobar just as the bell rings. He picks him up and throws him around the ring, Escobar gets some offense in momentarily, jumping off the top rope. Lashley catches him and chokes him throwing him down. Back from commercial break, Escobar has regained control in the match. During the break he rammed Lashley into the steel steps and he dove through the ropes on top of Lashley. Lashley fights back but he’s tweaked his knee. Escobar kicks Lashley in the head from the mat but Lashley lifts him up to powerslam him. Two masked men come to ringside to help Escobar advance to the finals, beating down the Street Profits at ringside. It distracts Lashley long enough for Escobar to get a sneaky roll-up.
The two men are revealed to be Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza, aligning themselves with Escobar. The duo moved from the main roster back to NXT earlier this year. Escobar will face off against Kevin Owens who defeated Carmelo Hayes next week. The winner will be the first challenger for the United States title currently held by Logan Paul.
Paul, meanwhile, continues with his war on words against almost every competitor in this tournament. It started with Hayes and he continued the assault on Owens and Escobar. “You know, I thought this tournament would lead me to facing the best WWE has to offer,” Paul said in a vignette aired on SmackDown. “Instead, it’s between a guy who cried over Rey Mysterio and the other who won’t take his shirt off when he’s in the pool. Are you serious? Santos, you’re not in my league, brother. And Kevin, you literally look like if Reddit was a person. Let’s be honest with ourselves, boys. You’re both battling to see who’s gonna get pinned by the greatest and most relevant United States Champion of all time. So please boys, enjoy this temporary clout. Because that is the only thing that you’ll be getting from me.”
Who do you want to see win the tournament? Kevin Owens or Santos Escobar? Let us know in the comments!
