At No Mercy on October 9, Booker T nearly won the United States Championship from Chris Benoit in a Fatal Four-Way match. After Sharmell complained to general manager Theodore Long about getting Booker another opportunity, Long set up a Fatal Four-Way match on the October 14 edition of SmackDown to determine who would get the next opportuntiy to face Benoit.

In that Fatal Four-Way match, Booker defeated JBL, Rey Mysterio, and Christian to earn the opportunity. And the next week, Booker made the most of his opportunity, as an assist from Sharmell helped him defeat Benoit to become a three-time United States Champion. That reign ended on SmackDown on November 25, 2005, as general manager Theodore Long vacated the United States Championship following a controversial match against Chris Benoit.