Shinsuke Nakamura Upsets LA Knight To Win US Title

Shinsuke Nakamura is now a three-time United States Champions, defeating LA Knight at WWE Survivor Series 2024 in what was both a shocking upset and major letdown for “The Megastar.”

Indeed, Nakamura’s victory came, well out of nowhere.

It was just a couple of weeks ago that Nakamura randomly showed up on SmackDown to attack Knight, making an unexpected comeback after spending much of 2024 off TV. Nakamura’s return felt random, and the addition of his US title match against Knight to the Survivor Series card was quite the surprise, given that the show only featured five matches.

What was even more surprising, however, was Knight’s loss in Vancouver, as Nakamura finished off Knight—who hadn’t lost a match since June—with a DDT and a Kinshasa to abruptly end Knight’s brief reign after Knight won the title a few months ago at SummerSlam when he defeated Logan Paul.

Much like Paul’s lackluster reign, Knight’s run as US Champion was—in a word—mediorcre.

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It was just over a year ago that Knight’s popularity was steadily skyrocketing. He had become WWE’s No. 1 merchandise seller and, based on crowd reactions, was arguably its most beloved babyface, too. But for much of the past year, Knight has struggled to truly sustain upward momentum on SmackDown, where it’s been borderline impossible for him to rise above top stars like Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, among others.

Even Knight himself has expressed his frustrations with his booking, which is certainly better than many on the main roster but also not as good as most stars on the cusp of the main event. Knight’s SummerSlam title victory over Paul could have changed that, but didn’t.

Since winning the United States Championship in August, Knight has flatlined on SmackDown, where he even felt like a third wheel at Crown Jewel earlier this month when he faced Carmelo Hayes and Andrade in a triple threat match. With The Bloodline’s saga casting such a wide shadow on SmackDown, Knight—despite his undeniable popularity—hasn’t benefited much from holding a title on the blue brand.

Even Knight’s loss to Nakamura at WWE Survivor Series was underwhelming, with a tepid crowd reaction until the finish. Though the match itself was not bad, Nakamura hasn’t been booked like a top star in years, and given that this feud kicked off just two weeks ago, it lacked the heat and emotion of other major storylines on SmackDown.

WWE’s creative team, specifically Triple H, really needs to find a way to give Knight a significant storyline that aligns with his popularity. Knight finished 2024 as WWE’s No. 8 merchandise mover, even ahead of the aforementioned Orton, which demonstrates that his fan base is still along for the ride with him.

The question is: is WWE still on the Knight bandwagon?

Nakamura’s win over Knight at Survivor Series could be a way to reheat Nakamura or a sign of a lack of long-term plans for Knight—maybe even both. After all, the hottest stars in WWE right now are all involved in deep long-term storylines. That hasn’t been true for Knight for much of the year, which is why he’s not as hot as he once was.

Sure, Knight’s push isn’t frigid just yet, but his loss at Survivor Series and the lack of any notable storylines will certainly change that—and not for the better.