A bittersweet ending.
Santos Escobar defeated Rey Mysterio in the finals of the Number One Contender US Title Invitational on the July 28 episode of WWE SmackDown. With the victory, Escobar will earn a shot at Austin Theory and the WWE United States Championship.
The bout with Mysterio was stopped due to injury to Mysterio. Escobar hit a suicide dive on Mysterio, who hit his head on the ringside mat. Rey was checked by officials and referee Jessika Carr. Carr made the decision to stop the match and award the victory to Escobar.
Mysterio was up and moving after the result was made official, embracing Escobar. Later in the show, Michael Cole said Mysterio was being evaluated by officials.
Michael Cole with the zinger of the year? --@_Theory1 #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/QXxrMtEL5l
— WWE (@WWE) July 29, 2023
Prayers up for @ReyMysterio -- pic.twitter.com/1yobuNhgLG
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) July 29, 2023
Rey Mysterio qualified for the finals by defeating Cameron Grimes, LA Knight, and Sheamus in a four-way bout. Santos Escobar qualified by besting Grayson Waller, AJ Styles, and Butch in a four-way match.
Escobar defeated Theory in a non-title match on the July 21 episode of WWE SmackDown.
The US Title bout between Theory and Escobar will take place on the August 11 episode of WWE SmackDown.
WWE SmackDown (8/11)
- WWE United States Championship: Austin Theory (c) vs. Santos Escobar
Fans can find Fightful's coverage of WWE SmackDown by clicking here. Check out the post-show podcast for a full review of all the action by clicking here.
