10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About The Shield
5. Dean's Lame US Title Reign
Dean Ambrose became WWE United States Champion in Extreme Rules 2013, defeating Kofi Kingston for the strap. He went on to hold the gold for 351 days (the third-longest reign in the belt's 42-year history), which sounds great on paper, but the reality of 'The Lunatic Fringe's' US run is much less impressive.
Ambrose mounted successful title defences against the likes of Rob Van Dam, Kane, Dolph Ziggler, and Mark Henry. That's a strong list, but again, it doesn't tell the real story. Only 4 of Dean's 14 defences came via pinfall or submission, with the rest of the matches ending in count-outs, disqualifications, or other chicanery, presenting Ambrose as a weak champion who couldn't get the job done of his own.
Furthermore, Dean's reign often made a mockery of the oft-ignored ruled that WWE's belt-holders must defend their straps at least once every 30 days, or risk being stripped of their title. Ambrose missed this deadline several times, with the second half of his reign defined by a paucity of defences. He went more than three months without putting the gold on the line from October 2013 to February 2014, and defended it only four times in his last seven months as champ, before losing it to Sheamus in a May 2014 battle royal.