Williams vs. the ‘Lone Wolf’: Who Walks Out of SummerSlam 2026 as United States Champion?
Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the home of this year’s edition of SummerSlam. This is the debut of the two-night format for the premium live event. One of the unexpected feuds from this summer has been the returning Baron Corbin going after WWE United States Champion Trick Williams. Corbin made his shocking return earlier this month when he interrupted a non-title match between Williams and Carmelo Hayes to end an episode of SmackDown.
Corbin would attack Williams again after last week’s episode of SmackDown went off the air. This incident caused WWE to book the United States Championship match at the upcoming SummerSlam card. ‘The Lone Wolf’ hadn’t been seen in WWE for nearly 18 months before his return. His first WWE run saw some success, but he ultimately didn't win any main-event gold. Corbin is a former United States Champion, NXT Tag Team Champion, Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale Winner, King of the Ring winner, and Money in the Bank winner, though. He made his intentions known in his return: he’s running over everyone that’s in his way.
Williams has had a bit of a resurgence since recapturing the United States Championship by defeating Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 42. The United States Champion would successfully defend his belt against Zayn in a rematch at Backlash, as well as against Hayes and Ricky Saints on numerous occasions. WWE has teased a long-term feud between Hayes and Williams, calling back to their days in NXT when ‘Melo’ turned heel on his former protégé. Whether that feud is over the United States Championship depends on the outcome of SummerSlam’s United States title bout.
Expect this bout to be physical and hard-hitting. Don’t expect any flips or high-flying maneuvers. Both men have a grounded offense based on hard strikes, unexpected throws and slams, and dirty tactics behind the referee’s back. Corbin has been booked as the heel of the feud, but that hasn’t shied WWE creatively from booking Williams like a heel, too. They haven’t made up their mind on if they prefer ‘The Anointed One’ as a face or a heel. Both men will seek an upper hand, bending or breaking the rules wherever they can.
Hayes and Saints should find their way into this match somehow, as neither man is officially on either night of this year’s SummerSlam. Whichever man gets distracted the most will ultimately lose the bout. It makes more sense for Williams to lose due to interference from 'Melo', which will kick their main roster rivalry into full gear. It will protect the current United States Champion from losing cleanly while giving the returning ‘Lone Wolf’ a massive boost and rise in his stock. The initial return will fall flat on its face if the former Money in the Bank Winner loses his return match at SummerSlam. Corbin is one of the most underrated and underappreciated talents to come into WWE over the past decade, and he deserves a massive push to the main event scene.
Winner: Baron Corbin
