4 WWE stars who can face Ilja Dragunov for the US Title on SmackDown

Ilja Dragunov is set to continue his United States Championship Open Challenge tonight on the December 19 episode of WWE SmackDown. The Mad Dragon has continued the tradition of defending his title weekly on the blue brand since dethroning Sami Zayn.

So far, he has retained the gold against stars such as Axiom, Nathan Frazer, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Aleister Black, Carmelo Hayes and JD McDonagh.

While he is involved in a mini-feud with Ciampa and Gargano, he is still expected to defend his title on tonight's episode. With that in mind, here are four stars he could defend his United States Championship against tonight on SmackDown.

4. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura was last seen on SmackDown on the November 21 edition, as part of the traditional five-on-five elimination Survivor Series Match. He teamed up with Rey Fenix, Sami Zayn, and the Motor City Machine Guns to battle the MFTs in a losing effort.

The veteran could make a return to the blue brand tonight and could potentially answer Dragunov's Open Challenge. The two superstars could go on to have the match of the night, owing to their diverse styles and their unmatched physicality.

3. Tama Tonga

Despite having a seemingly limited vocabulary as part of his backstage segments, WWE has cleverly positioned Tama Tonga as one of the future challengers for Ilja Dragunov. Tonight, the former NJPW star could finally answer Dragunov's Open Challenge.

Tama Tonga has had a lot of momentum since returning with a new look, and could receive a major opportunity tonight. However, it seems unlikely due to his faction's involvement in a feud with the Wyatt Sicks.

2. Damian Priest

Last week on the blue brand, Priest reunited with Rhea Ripley to defeat Aleister Black and Zelina. If his feud with the Dutch Destroyer is over, he could move on and battle Ilja Dragunov for the United States Championship.

On the other hand, if his feud with Black still has one more match in the works, the former NXT Champion could come out and cost Priest his shot at the title. This way, they could complete their trilogy, as has been the case with most WWE feuds of late, with a future US Title shot on the line as well.

1. Carmelo Hayes

Now that his feud with The Miz seems over, Carmelo Hayes could turn his attention to finally winning gold on the main roster. Hayes challenged Ilja Dragunov for the title by answering his Open Challenge on the December 5, episode of SmackDown, but ended up losing.

Last week, The Mad Dragon defeated Tommaso Ciampa in the Open Challenge and was assisted by Hayes against DIY during the post-match brawl. Tonight, Hayes could receive a title shot for his assistance last week.

Whether or not a title change takes place remains to be seen, but it will surely be a good match between the two former NXT stars. It remains to be seen how things work out on SmackDown and who ends up challenging Ilja Dragunov for his title tonight.

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Edited by Arsh Das