10 Worst WWE United States Champions Ever

5. Bobby Lashley (2006)

The WWE United States Title has always struggled to find its true place in the WWE system. For years, the Intercontinental Title was considered a stepping stone of sorts to the WWE World Title. When the World Heavyweight Championship was introduced in 2002, that all changed.

Conversely, the US Title hasn't really been viewed the same way - it's simply a belt to hold. Bobby Lashley was certainly somebody WWE officials wanted to shunt up the card in 2006. Having only made his televised debut in September of the previous year, the idea was that he would quickly progress through the ranks on the way to the main event scene. The United States Title, and a win over former champion JBL on SmackDown, was supposed to help prepare him for that. As history dictates, it didn't.

Instead, Lashley - one of WWE's next big hopes for the future - lost the belt to the aging veteran Finlay just short of two months after winning the US Title. The bout again took place on an episode of SmackDown, and didn't really have a grand feel. This was a stutter in Lashley's push; giving him a pointless title reign didn't do much to solidify him as a headline threat.