10 Worst WWE United States Title Matches Of The Modern Era
Bret Hart's title win in 2010 must be considered a serious low point...
First introduced to viewers of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling in the early days of 1975, the United States Title would become part of the NWA and be defended across numerous territories. Eventually, it settled into life as a secondary belt in WCW, right up until that company was gobbled up by the WWF.
At the 2001 Survivor Series, WWF management decided to amalgamate the United States belt with their own Intercontinental Title. Immediately, the US Title was discontinued, and Edge was recognised only as Intercontinental Champion. The United States Championship wouldn't make a return until the late-Summer of 2003.
Reintroduced as part of the SmackDown brand, this patriotic new WWE United States belt is the focus here. Since 2003, the likes of Eddie Guerrero, Booker T, John Cena, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose have held the gold.
Unfortunately, there have been periods when the United States Title hasn't been represented in credible fashion by WWE, producing some head-scratching title changes and truly rotten matches along the way.
Examining that modern era from 2003 onwards, here are ten of the worst offenders...
10. Big Show Vs. Eddie Guerrero (No Mercy 2003)
Months following No Mercy, Eddie Guerrero would be elevated to WWE Champion status. In October 2003 though, he was WWE United States Champion on SmackDown. In fact, Guerrero was the first man to hold the title when it was brought back in July. His tournament final against Chris Benoit at Vengeance was classic.
The same couldn't be said for his No Mercy battle with The Big Show. A major problem with the match was the end result. Big Show seemed like a poor choice to supplant the popular Guerrero as United States Champ. It also didn't help that portions of the bout were slow.
Compared to Eddie's slick exchanges with Benoit, this 11-minute match felt interminable. That first title switch should have been huge, something meaningful for fans to embrace as colossal. Instead, it was just another excuse to give Big Show a title run.
The giant wouldn't really defend the gold up until dropping it to John Cena at WrestleMania XX. That match to come seemed to be the only reason for Show beating Guerrero at No Mercy.