10 Instant Wrestling Title Devaluations

9. From John Cena...To Orlando Jordan (WWE United States Title)

Orlando Jordan US Title
WWE.com

Would it be fair to describe Orlando Jordan as one of the worst WWE wrestlers of all-time, let alone one of the worst champions?

The guy, who perplexingly wrestled at amateur level, couldn't even execute a clothesline with any degree of finesse. It looked like he was botching a high five, and his snapmare takeover was somehow even worse. He always looked surprised when his opponent would actually take what is an incredible basic move, often clumsily letting go of him the instant they dropped on their a*se.

Thanks to the emergence of SmackDown, post-brand split, as the 'wrestling' show, fans had been conditioned to treat the restored United States title with significant reverence. Even Cena's matches were respectable. He didn't enter WWE Title contention purely because of his ability to spit bars, y'know.

It was Cena whom Jordan defeated (with the help of outside interference) to embark on one of the dullest title reigns in the history of the company, which lasted a frankly staggering 173 days.

Before being pummelled into irrelevance by games of hot potato and a succession of listless encounters, Chris Benoit and Booker T would re-elevate the belt in an exciting reprisal of their Best Of Seven series once OJ had dropped the strap.

Incidentally, that's a trope we wouldn't mind seeing exhumed in the near future. It would give a rhyme and reason to the endless rematches seen on WWE TV. How many matches are Becky and Natalya up to now?

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!