3-time United States Champion to wrestle on WWE SmackDown with a real-life injury? Likely truth explored

The United States Championship number one contender’s tournament continues on WWE SmackDown tomorrow night. The second round will see Kevin Owens in action against Austin Theory. Former NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes takes on Grayson Waller in another match of the tournament.

Owens was dealt with an injury by Waller and Theory last week on SmackDown. The three-time United States Champion is expected to work the match with fractured fourth and fifth metacarpal. For those unaware, the injury is part of the storyline, not real. KO told Nick Aldis he’d compete against Theory regardless of his medical condition.

It is worth mentioning that Bobby Lashley and Santos Escobar have already advanced to the tournament's next round. The latter defeated Dragon Lee in the first round. On the other hand, Lashley came out victorious against former two-time NXT Champion Karrion Kross.

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The winner of the match between Lashley and Escobar will head into the finals, where he’ll meet one of the four men set for action on WWE SmackDown tonight. Fans can check out Sportskeeda’s prediction for the United States Title tournament here.

What else is on tap for WWE SmackDown tomorrow night?

The December 15, 2023, episode of the WWE SmackDown will go down at Venue Resch Center in Green Bay, WI. The show will witness the return of Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns after more than a month of television absence.

The Tribal Chief last competed in WWE at Crown Jewel 2023. He successfully defended his title against LA Knight. The Wiseman Paul Heyman, Enforcer Solo Sikoa, and Jimmy Uso will join Reigns in the ring.

Here’s the card announced so far for the show:

Roman Reigns returns to handle Tribal Business
Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory
Carmelo Hayes vs. Grayson Waller

Sportskeeda will have full coverage of the show as it airs.

About the author

Manik Aftab writes Exclusive articles for Sportskeeda Wrestling’s WWE division. A BA (Hons) in English Literature helped him improve his writing skills before starting his career as a pro wrestling writer.

Before joining Sportskeeda, Aftab worked for Ringside News and The Sportster, where his wrestling articles and feature pieces consistently ranked on the first page of Google SERPs.

He prioritizes accuracy, relevance, and ethics in his reporting by conducting thorough research, verifying sources, and adhering to professional journalistic standards.

While Aftab’s favorite wrestler in AEW is Hangman Adam Page, he doesn’t have a favorite in WWE yet. However, he considers Stone Cold Steve Austin to be the greatest professional wrestler of all time. His earliest memory of watching pro wrestling was when The Rock faced The New Age Outlaws in a handicap match, but it was the John Cena vs. Edge match from Unforgiven 2006 that got him hooked. If given the chance to manage a star from the Attitude Era, he would choose The British Bulldog, as he believes Davey Boy Smith was a terrific worker and could've benefitted from having a mouthpiece for his lack of mic skills.

When not watching pro wrestling, Aftab enjoys reading science fiction and watching anime.

Know More

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Edited by Angana Roy