17 Former WWE United States Champions Who Never Won A World Title
11. Rusev
Rusev had a ton of momentum by his side heading into WrestleMania 31 as he had established himself as one of the most dominant United States Champions in WWE history. He won the title on RAW Backstage Pass and then defended it successfully against the likes of Sheamus, Jack Swagger, Erick Rowan, and John Cena before 'The Face That Runs The Place' dethroned him as the champion at the 'Showcase of Immortals.'
A needless love quadrangle storyline with Dolph Ziggler, Summer Rae, and Lana made his character a joke as he could never gain his momentum back. The creative team tried to push him as a monster heel once again in 2016 when he decimated Kalisto to pick up his second US title. This time, Roman Reigns emerged as the one who destroyed Rusev's credibility as 'The Bulgarian Brute' struggled to maintain his momentum.
A move to SmackDown Live! helped him get over with the fans through the 'Rusev Day' gimmick. The backstage officials even gave him a world championship match against AJ Styles. Unfortunately, they did not book him to win the title. He returned to the mid-card and seized the US belt one more time. However, the 50/50 booking did not help his cause as he now finds himself out of the organisation.