LA Knight will issue an open challenge for his United States Championship on WWE SmackDown in Berlin, on Friday, August 30. WWE SmackDown taking place in Germany the night before Bash In Berlin means we can expect a surprise person to answer the challenge.
Here, we look at the odds on favorites and a few European wildcards.
Read our full preview for the WWE SmackDown before Bash In Berlin here.
Ilja Dragunov
Odds: 2/1
Why: Ilja Dragunov will team with Sheamus to take on Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser in the non-televised main event of WWE SmackDown. Dragunov began his wrestling training at the Berlin-based German Wrestling Federation before becoming a big name in Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw).
If Dragunov answers the challenge in the city that made him it would get a huge pop. The two men would put on a great match that the crowd would love which would make great TV.
Auf geht’s Oberhausen, Stuttgart, Frankfurt & Berlin! 🇩🇪 #WWELive #WWEOberhausen @UNBESIEGBAR_ZAR @SebastianHackl pic.twitter.com/S7Q3PMkY7h
— WWE Deutschland (@WWEDeutschland) August 27, 2024
Ludwig Kaiser
Odds: 10/1
Why: Kaiser has been waving the German flag across the country all week on the WWE Live tour. He will be treated as a hometown hero all weekend.
Like Dragunov, if Kaiser challenges LA Knight it promises a match fans will lap up.
Kaiser’s focus will be on preparing Gunther for his World Heavyweight Championship defense against Randy Orton who seeks to start a ‘new legacy’ the next night.
Daheim! 🇩🇪@wwe_kaiser #WWELive #WWEOberhausen @WWE pic.twitter.com/AJ5W1mUaWg
— WWE Deutschland (@WWEDeutschland) August 27, 2024
Giovanni Vinci
Odds: 10/1
Why: We haven’t seen Giovanni Vinci since he was kicked out of “Imperium” in April and then drafted to WWE SmackDown.
But vignettes started to air a few weeks ago hyping his return.
The Italian Vinci began his career in the German-based New European Championship Wrestling. He’s well-known and loved by the German fans. This makes WWE SmackDown in Berlin the perfect chance for Vinci to return.
Orgoglio, onore, rispetto…vittoria! ✨ #Vidi #Smackdown pic.twitter.com/63KO8TnxzY
— Giovanni Vinci (@VinciWWE) August 19, 2024
John Cena
Odds: 25/1
Why: John Cena spent his career claiming people ‘couldn’t see’ him. But Cena has made a habit of showing up whenever WWE hosts a major show outside the US. Cena was seen at Money In The Bank in London and Toronto. Cena will appear multiple times in WWE in 2025 as part of his retirement tour.
Perhaps Cena will remind people this is happening and bid farewell to his German fans on WWE SmackDown. Cena made the U.S. Championship Open challenge famous when he held the title so a match with LA Knight is a given.
Logan Paul
Odds: 25/1
Why: Logan Paul would bring guaranteed social media impressions and a ‘can’t miss’ moment. Paul has spoken on his podcast about his sadness at losing the U.S. Championship to LA Knight at SummerSlam. A rematch is sure to happen at some point. Berlin could be the place.
Alexander Wolfe
Odds: 30/1
Why: Alexander Wolfe is the final German former member of “Imperium” not mentioned. A one-off return in Berlin would get a major pop and give Wolfe a main roster moment he earned from years in NXT.
Metehan
Odds: 75/1
Why: If WWE wanted to leave the Uber Arena jumping with joy, whilst leaving its US TV viewers scratching their heads, Metehan is the guy to answer the U.S. Championship challenge.
Metehan has been one of the most exciting wrestlers on the German scene since Gunther, Kaiser, and Dragunov left. He had a brief spell in NXT UK as Teoman but wasn’t able to show his full potential.
Alex Wright
Odds: 100/1
Why: Alex Wright was a rare German in 90s wrestling. Wright competed in WCW. Like William Regal in England, Wright is adored by German fans because he was the only person they could relate to when watching American wrestling.
Wright is a former WCW Cruiserweight Champion, WCW Television Champion and WCW Tag Team Champion.
Pushing 50 and more than 20 years since his last match make the 100/1 odds pretty kind. But Wright had a brief stint of his WCW career using the moniker Berlyn.
Alex “Berlyn” Wright appearing on WWE SmackDown would be similar to the time the Brooklyn Brawler appeared at the New York Royal Rumble. It could be too good an opportunity to turn down.
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