13 Wrestling Matches That Cost Wrestlers Their Custom Belts
6. John Cena’s United States Championship
John Cena won his third United States Championship on the 18 November 2004 edition of SmackDown after defeating Carlito. After the match, Cena was kayfabe injured by Carlito’s bodyguard Jesús. He returned at Armageddon 2004 with his custom spinner US championship for a successful defence against Carlito.
John Cena (c) vs. Orlando Jordan
SmackDown (3 March 2005)
Cena faced off against Orlando Jordan, John Bradshaw Layfield’s Chief of Staff. Despite the championship becoming a prop in the feud between JBL and Cena, culminating in their WWE Championship clash at WrestleMania 21, the match had a developed storyline. JBL told Jordan to win the US Championship or he would send him “back to the hood” to be with “those people”, further cementing JBL’s reputation as a second-rate Tuesday night Triple H.
Jordan played up his frustration and desperation well, rushing towards obvious danger and utilising desperation moves to emphasise his storyline struggle. When he briefly gained control, Jordan did well to draw upon his experience as an amateur boxer.
With distractions from The Bashams, and JBL hitting Cena with the WWE Championship, Jordan took the strap. On the next episode of SmackDown, JBL not only threw Cena’s custom belt in a trashcan, he blew it up with explosives too.