What is going on with the United States Championship? Last year John Cena helped make the title feel prestigious again thanks to his efforts with the US Open Challenge. But ever since he dropped the belt to Alberto Del Rio at Hell in a Cell, the title has pretty much become a non-factor in WWE.
It’s a proven fact that the US Title scene can be very exciting if handled correctly, but unfortunately it’s just not all that exciting at the moment. Here are 4 things that WWE could do to get people talking about the United States Championship again.
#4 – Hold A Tournament
Tournaments make everything seem more important. Just look at what the recent Tag Team Title tournament has done for the tag team division. If several WWE Superstars were fighting for the chance to challenge for the US Title, it would give people a reason to care about the belt.
A tournament would also give WWE a chance to start fresh with the belt and reboot the US Title scene. The belt might not seem important right now but a tournament could potentially change that.
#3 – Turn It Into Something Else
Is it time to let the US Title go? It’s certainly a prestigious title, but if it’s not going to be treated as such, what’s the point of keeping it around?
Retiring the belt and transforming it into something else would give WWE a chance to start fresh. Fans are certainly interested in seeing the European Championship return and it seems to make more sense than ever considering how many foreign stars WWE has on the roster right now. WWE has a very strong Internet presence. Why not try to legitimize the concept of an Internet Championship? Cruiserweight Championship? How about bringing back the Hardcore Championship? Just kidding. We know that’s not going to happen.
One of the biggest problems is that the US Title serves pretty much the same purpose as the IC Title so unfortunately it’s a difficult task to make both belts seem important at the same time. There’s definitely room for another midcard title in WWE, but perhaps a new concept to differentiate the belts is what’s needed here. Because if WWE isn’t going to take the US Title seriously, then why not swap it out for something else?
#2 – Bring Back The US Open Challenge
John Cena proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the US Open Challenge can be a huge attraction for Monday Night Raw. While John Cena was holding the US Open Challenge the US Title match was consistently the best match on Raw. We got a title match just about every week and it made the belt look like something worth fighting for.
Can the US Open Challenge work for someone other than John Cena? Sure it’s a little cheap to take an idea that’s synonymous with Cena and let someone else run with it, but the open challenge is a proven way to get the belt over.
#1 – Give It To Rusev
The quickest way to make people care about the United States Championship is to put it on a foreigner who can generate heat. Rusev has proved in the past that he’s the perfect candidate for this role. Before Rusev lost the United States Championship to John Cena at WrestleMania 31, fans were pretty pissed about the fact that the Bulgarian Brute was holding a title that represents America. It was perfect.
With the League of Nations going their separate ways Rusev is going to need something to do and it would be a shame to see him move forward without some sort of direction. A US Title win would get people talking about Rusev again, and it would give him a chance to pick up where he left off before his momentum was unceremoniously halted.
What would you like to see WWE do with the United States Championship going forward? What would you do with the title to make it feel important again? Sound off in the comments below.
