On March 22, Van Dam was drafted to the SmackDown! brand. He made his "SmackDown!" debut on March 25 defeating Charlie Haas. Van Dam and Rey Mysterio began a feud with the Dudley Boyz, defeating them at Judgment Day. In June, Van Dam left the tag team division and began a pursuit for the United States Championship. At The Great American Bash, John Cena defended the title against Van Dam, Booker T, and René Duprée in a Fatal Four-Way match and retained his championship. On the July 1 episode of "SmackDown!", Van Dam and Duprée lost to Booker in a number one contender's Triple Threat match. Four weeks later, Van Dam participated in an 8-way elimination match for the vacant United States Championship, and was the last man to be eliminated by eventual winner Booker.