Nick Aldis made it official Wednesday. Friday night in Indianapolis, Trick Williams puts the United States Title on the line against Baron Corbin inside a steel cage.
That’s the right call.
These two already did this on the big shows. Corbin took the belt off Trick at SummerSlam after coming back. Trick got it back at Sunday Night’s Main Event, and yeah, Lil Yachty being in the picture was part of how that one got made. Two title changes. Two different rooms. A lot of leftover heat.
A cage doesn’t fix a feud by itself. What it does is take the easy outs away. No running. No cheap save from the floor. You either beat the person in front of you or you don’t. For a U.S. Title that’s been bouncing between them all summer, that’s the point.
Trick’s been living in that “I’m the guy now” space since NXT, and the U.S. Title is where WWE keeps putting him when they want to see if it sticks on the main roster. Corbin is the opposite energy. He doesn’t need you to like the match. He needs you to believe he’s going to make it ugly.
Friday’s SmackDown is in Indianapolis. TV. Not a Premium Live Event. That’s actually why I’m interested. If they treat a cage match on Friday like it matters, you find out pretty quick whether this thing still has gas or if SummerSlam was the peak.
I’m not picking a winner in print. I’ve been in enough locker rooms to know how that lands. I will say this: a third match only works if both of them look like they still want to hurt each other. The cage gives them permission to stop being polite about it.