Stunning heel turn, interference from major rival - 4 possible finishes to LA Knight and Andrade's title match on WWE SmackDown
A major match has been announced for WWE Friday Night SmackDown on the USA Network this week. The reigning United States Champion LA Knight will put his prized title on the line against Andrade.
The Megastar won the United States Championship at SummerSlam by defeating Logan Paul. He has since successfully defended the prestigious title against both Santos Escobar and Ludwig Kaiser.
Meanwhile, Andrade won the opportunity to chase after the United States Title by defeating Carmelo Hayes in what was ultimately a best-of-five series, albeit not officially. Both men delivered excellent performances, but it was El Idolo who stood tall and now has a title opportunity this Friday.
Now that this big title match is official, fans are wondering which veteran will stand tall. This article will take a look at a handful of potential finishes for the upcoming bout, which could include a heel turn that would stun fans and interference from one of the stars' biggest rivals.
Below are four possible finishes to LA Knight and Andrade's title match on WWE SmackDown.
#4. Andrade could win cleanly to become a double-champion
Andrade is an incredible pro wrestler. During his first run with WWE, El Idolo managed to win both the NXT Championship and the United States Title. He eventually left to pursue greener pastures, but he returned earlier this year.
Since returning to the sports entertainment giant, Andrade has already won more gold. The former United States Champion took part in a Speed Tournament and then went on to defeat Ricochet to become the WWE Speed Champion. He has held the title since June with no sign of dropping the belt.
Come Friday Night SmackDown, the excellent star may become a double champion. If he manages to hit The Message on LA Knight, he will be able to pick up a clean pinfall victory and lay claim to two championships at one time.
#3. LA Knight could retain his WWE United States Championship via pinfall
LA Knight is an absurdly popular WWE star. He first broke into pro wrestling decades ago, but only truly took off at a global level in the past year and a half or so. This was partially thanks to Triple H taking over the creative direction of the company in 2022.
As noted, Knight is the current WWE United States Champion. He ended Logan Paul's reign of terror back at SummerSlam in what was an excellent match. He has since had barn burners with both Ludwig Kaiser and Santos Escobar, proving many doubters wrong in the process.
All three men have suffered the same fate: they ate a BFT and lost to The Megastar. The same may end up happening to Andrade on Friday Night SmackDown. If Knight hits his finish on El Idolo, Andrade will be unable to recover and will get pinned for the three count.
#2. Andrade could cheat to win, thus turning heel
Andrade's first run in WWE was quite interesting. While he was first presented as a babyface on NXT, he quickly turned heel and aligned himself with Zelina Vega. He remained a villain up until he eventually quit the main roster in favor of AEW.
Fast forward to Andrade's return in 2024 and much like his former manager Zelina, he is a babyface. While a heel turn was teased when fans thought he might unite with Legado del Fantasma, El Idolo instead opted to stand on his own two feet in WWE and take an honorable path.
That honorable path may not be his direction for much longer, however. There is a chance that Andrade will shock the wrestling world and turn heel during his bout with LA Knight.
Nobody, especially The Megastar, would expect Andrade to use a low blow or a weapon of some kind to then get a cheap pinfall victory. Doing so, however, would mean another title around his waist.
#1. Carmelo Hayes could interfere to cost Andrade the win
Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes has been one of the most entertaining rivalries in all of WWE, but it seemingly came out of nowhere. Around Money in the Bank season, the pair faced off and clearly had immediate chemistry.
Over time, this led to several rematches and things would even get quite heated. Carmelo Hayes disrespected Andrade on multiple occasions and even cost El Idolo a big match on WWE SmackDown. In the end, however, Andrade put Melo down in their fifth and presumably final match.
That might not actually be the case, however. Carmelo may not be done with Andrade and may prove it by costing El Idolo the United States Championship on SmackDown. If he hits Nothing But Net out of nowhere, Andrade would surely lose to Knight. Of course, he'd be furious, which means another match could go down between the two athletic stars.