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The United States Championship is one of the most prestigious titles in all of WWE. It was introduced in 1975 by Jim Crockett Jr., Harley Race was the first ever US Champion. Since then it has been held by many WWE legends including Eddie Guerrero, Ric Flair, Edge, and Goldberg just to name a few.
The WWE United States Championship is a mid-card title currently defended on Smackdown Live. Currently, the title holder is Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura won the US Championship from Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules, and has since defended his title only a few times and has been involved in only a few rivalries. I think WWE doesn't have a clear vision for Nakamura as the US Champion.
People thought after Nakamura's heel turn he will be involved in more interesting storylines and give the fans some classic matches and classic rivalries but the opposite has happened, WWE has not been able to use Nakamura properly and this has negatively affected the credibility of both Nakamura and the US title.
I think it is time for WWE to crown a new US Champion. In this article, I am going to list 4 superstars could dethrone Nakamura as the US Champion.
#4 Rusev
Rusev is one of the most over faces on Smackdown Live right now. In every arena, we hear the chants of 'Rusev Day' but WWE has not utilized Rusev to his full potential.
Rusev and Nakamura had a great match at Crown Jewel and they have incredible chemistry in the ring. They always deliver and never disappoint. Rusev has been involved in meaningless feuds and one way to get his career back on track is by making him the new US Champion. The rivalry between Nakamura and Rusev if booked properly will be gold.
Rusev could be hugely benefitted by winning the US title and this will also help to bring back the credibility of Rusev as well as the US Championship. And I know the perfect day for Rusev to win the US Championship and it is 'Rusev Day'.
#3 Andrade 'Cien' Almas
We have all seen the incredible in-ring skills of Andrade 'Cien' Almas on recent episodes of Smackdown Live. He only has one weakness that is mic skills but that is covered by his manager Zelina Vega. If he continues to work well then he is destined to be a top-tier superstar.
He is the perfect contender to dethrone Nakamura as the United States Champion. Rumours suggest that Vince McMahon and the WWE Management is optimistic about Almas and that might be one of the reasons why he is booked so strongly on television. The matches of Almas against Bryan and Styles were extraordinary and showed us that Almas is ready to main-event pay per views.
It will be difficult to book a heel vs heel feud but if it is done properly we can be sure that Nakamura and Almas will give us a classic rivalry. The US Championship is the perfect boost that Almas requires to elevate his career to the next level.
#2 Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston is one of the most consistent performers in WWE right now. Kofi has been with the WWE for a long time. He is primarily known as a tag team specialist but he also had a great singles run before and he has won the Intercontinental and the US championship multiple times.
Kingston is currently a part of one of the most successful trios in the company known as The New Day. The trio has reached various milestones and has broken numerous records.
I think it is the perfect time to give Kofi a singles push which he deserves but I am not suggesting that they should break up The New Day as it is one of the most entertaining and money-generating groups in the company. The New Day lost the tag team titles to The Bar a couple weeks ago. I am suggesting that Woods and Big E should go for the tag titles and Kingston should go for the US title.
It would be awesome to see the three men having gold around their waist and this will also help to create an interesting storyline between Kofi and Nakamura.
#1 Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio returned to WWE on Smackdown Live 1000. He has been booked strongly since his return. He defeated Nakamura and qualified for the WWE World Cup, if we think about this logically he deserves a match for the US Championship.
Mysterio is the best contender for the US Championship. He has great in-ring as well as promo skills, the audience roots for him and he can also bring prestige to the US Championship.
Nakamura and Mysterio are both great performers and if the feud is booked properly it will be nothing short of a classic rivalry. There are also rumours that this rivalry will begin soon with the two being advertised for a US title match at WWE's Starrcade event in November but the card is always subject to change.
Considering the fact that this is most likely Mysterio's last run in the company, the company needs to put their confidence in The Master of 619, as he will undoubtedly make the championship prestigious once again.
Who do you want to be the next United States Champion? Give your opinions in the comments section below.
