United States Champion Rusev vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Kickoff Match)

United States Champion Rusev will fight for the honor of his wife Lana during the Royal Rumble Kickoff when he puts his title on the line against nefarious former champion Shinsuke Nakamura.

One week after capturing the title from Nakamura, Rusev had his United States Championship celebration cut short by The Artist’s sudden sneak attack. When Lana came to her husband’s aid by jumping on Nakamura’s back, Rusev got back to his feet and clobbered his adversary with a Machka Kick. Unfortunately, when The King of Strong Style fell backward, he landed on top of Lana. The melee temporarily stopped as Rusev checked on his wife, but the relentless Nakamura pounced on the United States Champion and floored him with a Kinshasa. 

The following week, Nakamura emerged on the TitanTron to claim that it was Rusev’s fault that The Ravishing Russian got hurt. An incensed Super Athlete went looking for Nakamura backstage, but he was ambushed by the former champion, who repeatedly rammed a production crate into his rival before once again leveling him with the Kinshasa.

Now, with the United States Title rematch set, will Rusev finally get retribution against Nakamura? Or will The Artist create another championship reign for himself? Don’t miss the explosive battle for the star-spangled championship during the Royal Rumble Kickoff, Sunday, Jan. 27, streaming live at 5 ET/2 PT on the award-winning WWE Network, as well as WWE.com, the WWE App, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook!