A new men's WWE United States champion was crowned, so let's talk about it! Trick Williams defeated Sami Zayn to win the United States Championship at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, walking with his lemon pepper steppers right into the history books.
Take a closer look at the buildup to this match, the outcome itself, and what may come next.
How We Got Here & What Went Down:
Several SmackDown Superstars hovered around each other over the past few months as WWE tried to work out the card for WrestleMania. Zayn was increasingly upset over not being able to win a world title, putting him in odd spots with Cody Rhodes, Aleister Black, Randy Orton, Jacob Fatu, and Drew McIntyre. Among those interactions were instances where Trick Williams would be boisterous and dismissive of Zayn, getting under his skin. When Zayn found out Trick was already granted a match for WrestleMania by SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis, but he would be sitting on the sidelines, he was motivated to win a title to secure his spot, opting in for the United States Open Challenge and defeating Carmelo Hayes to win the championship for the second time, then finding out that Trick's match was for that title, setting those two up to face off.
Trick was able to get the win with his trademark Trick Shot high knee after some help from Lil Yachty, who had interfered, but not before Zayn had tossed Lil Yachty into the security barricade.
Personal Reactions & What Happens Next?:
Absolutely necessary. WWE needs to be building stars. One of those should be Carmelo Hayes, mind you, who didn't deserve to have this belt and WrestleMania match taken away from him, but at least it is in the service of Trick, who is in the camp with Oba Femi, Je'Von Evans, and others as top guys in the making.
I think Trick is going to be a great example of someone who works his way up the ladder. He had his NXT midcard run, followed by his NXT Championship and TNA World Championship, and now, main roster midcard title. That will give him the experience he needs to break into the true upper-midcard beyond that level, where by WrestleMania 43, I would assume he would be close to being a legitimate challenger for either of the world championships. It all starts somewhere. I'm excited to see what he does as champion. As far as future contenders to dethrone him, Hayes immediately springs to mind first, but I would keep an eye on Aleister Black, someone like Bronson Reed when he returns, etc.
Tell us what you think about this title change by leaving a comment below! Who do you think will be the next in line to challenge for the title, or possibly even win the belt next? Keep the discussion going!