On the December 25, 2018 episode of SmackDown, Rusev beat Shinsuke Nakamura to win the United States Championship. On the January 1 episode, Rusev and his wife/manager Lana celebrated the win, but Nakamura attacked Rusev (Lana was also hurt during the fight). On January 15, a match between Rusev and Lana was organized for the Royal Rumble.