WWE's Potential LA Knight Trap, AEW's Stacked Title Scene, More Quick Takes

LA Knight will have the biggest match of his burgeoning career at Crown Jewel this Saturday, when he challenges Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Although there's virtually no chance he emerges with the title, the main question is how he'll be handled after the premium live event and what he'll be booked to do next. He's proved he can hang on Reigns' level, but a strong showing is needed for him to stay in SmackDown's upper echelon.

Meanwhile, All Elite Wrestling's hot hand, world champion MJF, has also been busy dealing with a slew of hungry contenders lately. He and Kenny Omega contested a classic on Collision this past weekend, and he is now preparing to take on other opponents waiting in the wings.

For as much compelling content the company is delivering at the moment, the AEW World Championship scene is easily among the recurring highlights. It's remained interesting in the absence of Adam Cole and there's a number of different directions it can take.

This installment of Quick Takes will delve into how AEW has mastered its central storyline, why John Cena would gain nothing from beating Solo Sikoa, Claudio Castagnoli being the perfect fit for the AEW International Championship, and more.

Will LA Knight's Popularity Peak at Crown Jewel?

With the way he was organically getting over with the audience earlier this year, fans were frustrated Knight wasn't more of a mainstay on WWE TV. He was left off a string of pay-per-views and had no real direction at the start of the summer.

In what has felt like record time, though, WWE has quickly warmed up to Knight and what he brings to the table by basically showcasing him as SmackDown's lead babyface. He's receiving the reactions befitting of a megastar and he's shown he is main event material in every respect.

That doesn't change the outcome of their championship clash: Reigns is walking away with the belts no matter what happens. Save for a surprise title win, Knight's stock will not get much higher than it is right now, which is why it's imperative WWE must do everything possible to ensure he can maintain this momentum in defeat.

Reigns rarely wins clean, so protecting Knight via interference from The Bloodline or another nefarious finish is expected. From there, keeping The Megastar toward the top of the night and continuing to capitalize off his popularity is of utmost importance.

The match with Reigns could be painfully average, but if Knight has the crowd behind him throughout and enjoys a strong showing, that could be enough to convince those who matter that he belongs among the elite on a permanent basis.

Claudio Castagnoli Is Right Person to Dethrone Orange Cassidy

As ridiculous as it would be to book yet another AEW International Championship change so soon after Orange Cassidy regained the gold from Rey Fenix on the Title Tuesday edition of Dynamite, Claudio Castagnoli would be the perfect person for him to lose it to.

The ending of Cassidy's first run with Jon Moxley finally taking the title from him at All Out was excellent, but various injuries to Moxley and later Fenix caused the title to be passed around in anticlimactic fashion in the weeks that followed.

Giving the belt back to Freshly Squeezed, who dominated the division for almost a year, was a step backward for both the title and Cassidy himself. It's time for a fresher face to hold it, and Castagnoli is as strong of a choice as anyone.

He just wrapped up his run as Ring of Honor World champion and is in need of meaningful direction. Relegating him to the tag team ranks with Wheeler Yuta would be a waste of what he can do, whereas going on a tear as international champ would allow him to be showcased in singles competition regularly.

Cassidy and Castagnoli will meet for the gold this Wednesday. If Moxley and Bryan Danielson are sidelined with injuries for the remainder of the year, The Swiss Superman being the focal point of Blackpool Combat Club with the gold in his grasp would be a logical move.

John Cena Gains Nothing from Beating Solo Sikoa at Crown Jewel

John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa is official for Saturday's Crown Jewel, and based on the story they've told with the two in recent weeks, the veteran is the favorite to reign supreme.

If so, he gains absolutely nothing from handing Sikoa an unnecessary loss at this stage of the younger competitor's rise to superstardom.

To say Sikoa would be "buried" by Cena would be a significant stretch considering Sikoa feels like a big deal simply stepping into the squared circle with Cena. However, he'll be the one sticking around after Crown Jewel, whereas it's unknown when The Cenation Leader will be back when his current run ends.

Cena has consistently complained about not having won a singles match in over 2,000 days, and with that not being acknowledged until now, fans are fairly certain the 16-time world champion is going over.

Meanwhile, in the span of six months, Sikoa has been beaten three times by pinfall in singles match, including to LA Knight two weeks ago. It's premature for the 30-year-old to suffer another setback when Cena can hold off on picking up that elusive victory until later down the line.

Of course, Cena will win eventually, but it shouldn't come at Sikoa's expense.

WWE Has Several Months to Kill with Becky Lynch Before WrestleMania

Becky Lynch's NXT Women's Championship reign may not have lasted long, but it will go down as one of the better ones in recent memory with the way she was able to elevate everyone she shared the ring with.

That includes the newly crowned champ Lyra Valkyria, who was emphatically put over by Lynch in a tremendous match at Halloween Havoc last Tuesday night.

Now The Man returns to Raw as a full-time member of the red roster for a feud with Xia Li, seemingly without anything on the line.

It's an encouraging sign that Lynch is willing to work with Li and help fans get familiar with her, but WWE has the tall task of making Li out to look like a legitimate threat and not just another opponent who will immediately fall.

The WWE women's division would benefit from more non-title feuds and stories, but Li isn't remotely near Lynch's level based on how she has been portrayed to this point.

If that doesn't change, the company will have a long road ahead of it in regards to effectively killing time with Lynch en route to a Rhea Ripley program for WrestleMania 40.

Lynch vs. Ripley is all but guaranteed for 'Mania, but WWE must carefully craft a plan that bridges the gap between now and then to prevent The Man from losing too much fanfare.

AEW's Stacked World Title Scene Will Continue to Carry Product for Rest of 2023

Adam Cole's terribly timed injury caused concern among fans that the AEW World Championship picture would lose some steam as a rematch between him and MJF was clearly in the cards for down the road.

Depending on the severity of Cole's injury, it's unlikely he'll be back in time to dethrone MJF, unless The Devil holds the gold for another six or seven months, and there's no need for that.

Thankfully, AEW has kept MJF at the forefront of Dynamite in recent weeks by having No. 1 contender Jay White hot on his heels along with a handful of other potential challengers including Powerhouse Hobbs, Wardlow and Samoa Joe.

Hobbs owns a dominant win over Chris Jericho, Wardlow was the last person to defeat The Salt of the Earth one-on-one (at Double or Nothing 2022), and Joe earned MJF's respect following their hard-hitting battle at Grand Slam in September. Kenny Omega also unsuccessfully challenged for the championship in an instant classic on Collision.

That's in addition to The Acclaimed attempting to befriend MJF in his ongoing war with Bullet Club Gold, as well as the mystery of who's been under The Devil's mask as of late.

AEW has enough opponents for MJF to at least last him through the rest of 2023, giving fans several exciting storylines to get invested in.