From the WWE Rumor Mill: Shelton Benjamin to be added to US Championship match at Backlash
What's the story?
According to Cageside Seats, the match between Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton for the WWE United States Championship at Backlash might be turned into a triple threat match, with the addition of Shelton Benjamin.
In case you didn’t know…
At WrestleMania 34, former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal pulled off an upset victory in a Fatal-4-way match to become the new US Champion. The following week, in the Superstar Shake-up, Mahal was revealed as the first Superstar to switch brands when he showed up on Raw.
Mahal was then immediately put in a match will Jeff Hardy for the Title, and Hardy ended up winning the Championship. The very next night, Jeff took the title back to SmackDown Live. The Greatest Royal Rumble saw Hardy and Mahal face off in a singles match, in which Hardy managed to retain the title.
The heart of the matter
Randy Orton will receive his contractual rematch for the US Title he lost at WrestleMania, at Backlash this Sunday, when he takes on Jeff Hardy for the title.
However, Cageside Seats speculates that Shelton Benjamin might be added to the mix this Sunday so that he can take the pin instead of Jeff Hardy or Randy Orton. It does look like WWE is set to give Benjamin a singles run going forward, after his tag team partner Chad Gable went over to Raw in the Superstar shake-up.
Last week on SmackDown, Benjamin went head-to-head with Randy Orton, and after a distraction by Sunil Singh, Benjamin pulled off an upset victory over The Viper. It looks like Benjamin will use this victory to get himself inserted into the title match at Backlash.
What's next?
Backlash will take place this Sunday, May 5th and will be the first dual-branded pay-per-view after WWE announced that all PPVs henceforth shall consist of matches from both brands.
Tomorrow will be the go-home show of SmackDown Live for the event.
Author's take
Whilst it is good to see Shelton Benjamin start a singles run on the blue brand, it might not be the best direction for him if he is only there to eat the pin. However, the US Title scene looks to be the best fit for him currently and a run with the title in the future is definitely not off the table.