Austin Theory and the United States Championship are now exclusive to Friday Night SmackDown. With the WWE Draft over and done with, Theory will have fresh new opponents on the blue brand for his United States title.

Since Triple H took over creative, he's made it a mission to make fans care about WWE's midcard titles. For years, both the Intercontinental and United States Championships have been passed around like toys and have been devalued. Theory has held the United States Championship for most of Triple H's run as head of creative, and he's done a fantastic job as champion. For as young as he is, it's impressive that Theory has brought value back to the US Championship and made it feel important again.

The United States Championship will likely get the most exposure on SmackDown. With Roman Reigns also being on SmackDown, fans won't see the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship too often. This will make the United States Championship feel like the top title on the show and garner more value for the belt.

With that being said, here are five superstars who can challenge for the United States Championship on SmackDown.

5. Bobby Lashley

Bobby Lashley and Austin Theory have plenty of history together. They've had a handful of battles for the United States Championship, most recently at Backlash last Saturday. If anybody on the SmackDown roster is credible enough to beat Theory and win the US Championship, it's Lashley.

He'll likely begin a feud with Roman Reigns some time soon, but he should go after the United States Championship once that story is done. It'll be hard to capture a world championship on SmackDown, so Lashley will have to go after the next best thing and turn it into one of the most prestigious titles in WWE.

4. Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio winning the United States Championship as a member of the LWO would be awesome. Mysterio seems excited about this group he's involved in, and adding another championship to his resume would make it even better.

The fans would go crazy if Mysterio were the one to dethrone Austin Theory for the championship. Rey Mysterio deserves another world championship run, but that doesn't seem likely with Roman Reigns on the same show as him. He should focus on bringing the United States Championship to the LWO.

3. Montez Ford

Montez Ford needs to get his hands on singles gold ASAP. The Street Profits were drafted as a team to SmackDown, but that doesn't mean they can't compete as singles competitors. A Montez Ford solo run has been on the horizon for some time now. Fans want it. I want it. The company should want it, too.

The Street Profits are one of the best tag teams in WWE, but Ford needs to go his own way. WWE is sitting on a star in Montez Ford. We haven't seen the best of him yet, which is scary. Ford is one of the most athletically gifted and charismatic superstars on the roster. Whether he wins or not, I need to see Ford go after the United States Championship soon.

2. Solo Sikoa

Why not add another championship to the Bloodline? WWE is building Solo Sikoa up as the next big thing in WWE. He's become Roman Reigns' right-hand man and has been defeating some of the biggest names in the company.

Sikoa has a bright future ahead of him but needs some championship gold around his waste. He has yet to win a title since debuting on the main roster, but the United States Championship would be a great first title. It'll keep the Bloodline strong and add immediate relevancy to the title. I genuinely believe Solo Sikoa would have a dominant reign as champion.

1. LA Knight

It never mattered which brand LA Knight got drafted to because he would be competing for championships either way. YEAH! Listen, LA Knight is one of the best things WWE has going for them. Knight has all the tools to be a legitimate megastar in the company. He's one of the best talkers, is excellent in the ring, and knows how to control a crowd better than anybody. I want LA Knight to compete for world, midcard, and tag team championships. I just want championship gold around Knight's waste. YEAH!

Those are five superstars who can challenge Austin Theory for his United States Championship. The US Championship will likely get a ton of focus on SmackDown, with Reigns being a part-time world champion. With that said, expect the United States Championship to be treated like the top belt moving forward on SmackDown.

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