Three times the jeopardy for the U.S. Championship

One week after being cheated out of the United States Championship by Finlay and Little Bastard, Bobby Lashley looks to regain the championship in a double-jeopardy scenario this Sunday, battling two members of King Booker's Court: William Regal and new U.S. Champion Finlay.

As a former member of the United States Army, The Great American Bash is the perfect stage for Lashley to recapture the United States Championship by defeating both Regal, a native of England, and Finlay, an Irishman.

"Being in the Army and being [an amateur wrestling] national champion and an All-American, I've had to overcome a lot of obstacles and adversity," said Lashley. "This is just another obstacle, another adversity for me going against the King's Court."

Lashley was initially slated to be defending the U.S. Championship on Sunday, but lost the Championship to Finlay on SmackDown last week. Having met Finlay many times before, Lashley was seemingly prepared for his rival's tricks as Lashley snatched and tossed Finlay's shillelagh deep to the entranceway early on in the match. But Lashley wasn't prepared for Little Bastard to appear with a second shillelagh, which Finlay used to blast Lashley and score the pinfall.

Now, Lashley walks into Indianapolis as the challenger and will need to overcome two royal Courtsmen to once again become U.S. Champion. And though he may be ready for his in-ring opponents, after what occurred last week on SmackDown, Lashley will need to be prepared for any and all external factors.

"[Finlay] has so many resources; he has that little Leprechaun, he has that shillelagh and he has the whole King's Court on his side," said a focused Lashley.  "He doesn't have my number -- he just has a lot of help that I've got to keep my eyes on. I'm getting my Championship back no matter what it takes."

The U.S. Champion Finlay is at high risk this Sunday as well, given the very nature of the Triple Threat Match. Between Lashley and Regal, if one man pins the other, either man could walk out as champion. Essentially, Finlay can lose his championship at the Bash without actually being pinned himself.

Finlay said that on Sunday night, it will be every man for himself and he will leave with the U.S. Championship "by hook or by crook."

"I'm a lot wiser than everyone in that ring," said a confident Finlay. "I'll use every opportunity that I can [to win]."

Dating back to No Way Out in February, Finlay shares a lengthy, tumultuous history with Bobby Lashley. At No Way Out, the fighting Irishman played a crucial role in serving Lashley his first loss in a WWE ring to JBL.

Back in March, Lashley and Finlay brawled from ringside to the parking lot where Lashley used his uncanny strength to flip over a car, nearly crushing Finlay beneath it. More recently, Finlay cost Lashley the King of the Ring finals against Booker T, commencing the birth of King Booker's royal Court alongside the other challenger to the championship, William Regal.

A fellow royal Courtsman, Regal may put aside his affiliation and capitalize on his golden opportunity this Sunday. Regal is a former Intercontinental Champion and a four-time European Champion, certainly demonstrating that he has the experience necessary to leave the Bash with the U.S. Championship around his waist.

In that experience, Regal admitted that after years of travel around the world, he "may never, ever have met anyone stronger or more powerful or more explosive than Bobby Lashley."

"[Finlay and I] know that we have our work cut out for us," Regal told WWE.com, "but we also know that it's every man for himself -- we've come to that agreement and it's something that we know that we've got to do."

In that vein, Regal claimed that becoming U.S. Champion would be the pinnacle of his career, simply for the pleasure of gloating to the American public.

"Imagine me, the world's greatest Englishmen being the champion of you [American] people," Regal mused. "Wouldn't that be wonderful? To actually stand there in front of an American crowd and say that I am your true champion…I would love that."

Will Regal come to SmackDown next week to do just that? How many shillelaghs will Finlay need to bring to Indianapolis to overcome Lashley's wrath? Will Little Bastard assist Finlay in retaining the championship? Find out this Sunday at 8/7 CT, live on pay-per-view.

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