A few weeks prior to the July 29 edition of SmackDown, John Cena was stripped of his United States Championship by general manager Kurt Angle after Cena had allegedly attacked the GM. An eight-man elimination match was set up as Cena, Booker T, Rene Dupree, Kenzo Suzuki, Rob Van Dam, Billy Gunn, Charlie Haas, and Luther Reigns all battled for the coveted prize. In the end, Booker T was able to eliminate Rob Van Dam to remain as the last man standing, as he won the same United States Championship that he had brought to WWE back in 2001.