Who Could Dethrone Jacy Jayne as Women’s U.S. Champion?

Jacy Jayne has held the WWE Women’s United States Championship since August 14, when she dethroned Tiffany Stratton on SmackDown, and the title has become a fixture of Fatal Influence’s stranglehold on the blue brand’s women’s division. But with stablemates Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid recently dropping the Women’s Tag Team Championship to Tatum Paxley and Alexa Bliss, Jayne’s reign may not be far behind in coming to an end — and the list of contenders lining up to take it from her is worth examining.

Charlotte Flair stands out as the most obvious long-term play. A 14-time Women’s World Champion still chasing a 16th reign to match her father Ric Flair’s number, Charlotte has never actually held one of WWE’s midcard women’s titles. Slotting her into the U.S. Championship picture would be an easy way to instantly legitimize the belt, and it would also complete a tidy symmetry with Bliss and Paxley already holding tag gold — giving that entire corner of the division championship gold to show for it.

Then there’s Paige, who has made no secret of her interest in the title since SummerSlam and recently got a shot at Jayne on SmackDown, only to see the match slip away thanks to interference from her ongoing rival Nikki Bella. That wrinkle matters, because Nikki Bella herself has reportedly been drawing fresh attention inside WWE for her social media engagement, which could translate into a bigger on-screen push. A full-blown Nikki Bella title reign feels like a stretch given she isn’t likely being lined up for the Women’s Championship picture, but a U.S. Championship run would be a credible way to spotlight her. The catch is that both Jayne and Bella are presently playing heel, meaning Paige likely has to get through Jayne first before that program can tilt toward Bella.

Blake Monroe presents a similar puzzle. Like Bella, she’s a heel, which makes a straightforward Jayne-Monroe program awkward from a storytelling standpoint. But Monroe has started getting real in-ring time on SmackDown, including a Street Fight against Giulia. If WWE wants to get the title on Monroe without running her directly against Jayne, folding Giulia into a three-way situation down the line could offer a workaround that keeps the heel-vs-heel optics from becoming an issue.

What’s clear is that Fatal Influence’s control of the title feels like it’s approaching an expiration date, even if there’s no indication of exactly when or how it ends. Jayne has been a steady presence atop the division since August, but with the tag titles having already moved and multiple fresh challengers circling, SmackDown has plenty of directions it could take the belt next. Whether it’s Charlotte adding another notch to her championship résumé, Paige finally breaking through, or a longer game involving Bella and Monroe, the Women’s United States Championship picture is shaping up to be one of the more interesting subplots on the blue brand in the weeks ahead.