The United States Championship picture has been quite interesting on Smackdown Live for the past several weeks. Bobby Roode became the new champion on last month. He won the championship vacated by Dolph Ziggler defeating Jinder Mahal in a singles contest just before the Royal Rumble PPV.
The new champion promised to become a strong champion that the crowd can look up. So, going forward, he defended it successfully at the Royal Rumble PPV kick-off. Plus, he also received a new number one contender in the form of Rusev. In a big singles match, Roode was able to pin the Bulgarian Brute to retain his championship.
But, the celebration of his victory was cut short by Randy Orton who showed up to deliver a series of RKO on each man present in the ring. This was a bold statement that he is coming after the title possessed by the Glorious One on Smackdown Live. Interestingly, even Jinder Mahal expressed his interest in becoming the new champion, as well.
So, it was a triple threat scenario that featured in another segment on this week’s Smackdown Live. Roode, Orton, and Mahal shared the same ring in a heated altercation. Things turned ugly as all of them wanted to get physical delivering their finishing maneuvers. However, it was Mahal who stood tall by planting Roode with the Khallas.
.@REALBobbyRoode will take on @RandyOrton at #WWEFastlane! But, @WWEDanielBryan doesn’t seem too happy about it… #SDLive @shanemcmahon pic.twitter.com/ytrK2YTZXJ
— WWE (@WWE) February 21, 2018
Following this, Daniel Bryan intended to give away an opportunity to Mahal at the United States title at WWE Fastlane. But, Shane McMahon opposed this idea and wanted to add Randy Orton in the card, instead. Since Shane-o-mac is the boss of the blue brand, the second option was chosen for the PPV.
IT’S OFFICIAL: @REALBobbyRoode defends his #USTitle against #TheViper @RandyOrton at #WWEFastlane! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/RTzAH3k6Br
— WWE (@WWE) February 21, 2018
So, the match is officially happening between two of the veteran superstars of the pro-wrestling industry. WWE.com has announced it on their website with the following quotes,
“Randy Orton is poised to unleash a serpentine takeover when he attempts to dethrone United States Champion Bobby Roode at WWE Fastlane. Will The Viper sink his fangs into the U.S. Title at WWE Fastlane? Find out when the SmackDown pay-per-view streams live, Sunday, March 11, at 8 ET/5 PT on the award-winning WWE Network.”
