Trick Williams Reclaims US Title, Speculation Turns To Next Champ

Trick Williams is once again WWE United States Champion after regaining the title on Sunday Night’s Main Event, kicking off his second reign with the gold. Williams first captured the championship at WrestleMania 42 back in April, and his latest victory reopens a title picture that’s been one of the more consistently entertaining stories on the roster over the past year.

With Williams back on top, attention naturally shifts to who might get the next crack at him — and, more specifically, which stars still chasing their first-ever US Championship reign could finally break through. Several names stand out for very different reasons.

Cody Rhodes is arguably the most notable. The American Nightmare is one championship win away from Grand Slam status under WWE’s modern criteria, having already held the Undisputed WWE Championship, the Raw and SmackDown tag titles, and the Intercontinental Championship. After coming up short against the WWE Champion at SummerSlam and dropping a match to Randy Orton on Sunday Night’s Main Event, a pivot toward the US Title — and a first-time singles clash with Williams — would give Rhodes both a fresh direction and a shot at wrestling history.

Je’Von Evans represents the youth angle. The 22-year-old has made no secret of his ambitions to become the youngest world and Intercontinental champion in WWE history, but a US Championship run would carry its own historical weight. While David Flair is remembered as the youngest US Champion overall thanks to his WCW reign at 20, Evans still has a window to claim the record specifically for the title’s life under the WWE banner. Austin Theory currently holds that mark, having won it at 24, giving Evans until January 2029 to get there.

Kit Wilson has been open about wanting a US Title opportunity, having stated back in March that he hoped to challenge for it around WrestleMania 42 weekend. That didn’t materialize, and Wilson instead spent much of the year teaming with The Miz. He did return to the US Title picture on the house show circuit this summer, challenging for the belt on August 22. A win would set up a natural babyface-turns-rival dynamic with his mentor, The Miz.

Ricky Saints, brought to the main roster in May with a high-profile SmackDown debut opposite then-champion Cody Rhodes, has yet to capture a title since arriving. He challenged Williams for the US Championship at Night of Champions without success, but has continued chasing the belt on non-televised house shows — a pattern that often signals a bigger televised opportunity is coming.

Then there’s Drew McIntyre, absent from WWE programming since his WrestleMania 42 loss to Jacob Fatu while he’s worked on outside film projects. McIntyre, like Rhodes, needs only a US Title reign to complete his own Grand Slam. Recent chatter placing him back in the United States has fueled speculation about a return, and with the WWE Championship picture already crowded, a run through the SmackDown midcard could make sense for his comeback.

Whether any of these five ultimately dethrones Williams remains to be seen, but his renewed reign gives WWE plenty of options to build toward a genuinely new chapter in the US Championship’s history.