25 Biggest WWE Epic Failures Of 2016
18. Kalisto's Uninspiring United States Championship Runs
WWE seemly created a new star right out of the gate when Kalisto unseated Alberto Del Rio as United States champion on the second Raw episode of 2016. But to boost ratings for SmackDown, officials turned around and put the belt right back on Del Rio at the next night's tapings. Sure, Kalisto regained the gold at the Royal Rumble, but it was already apparent he was doomed to fail from the start.
In the months that followed, he successfully defended his title against the likes of Del Rio, Neville and Ryback, but none of those feuds were all that interesting. In fact, more often than not, he was left off WWE programming, rendering both him and the star-spangled prize complete afterthoughts. It was a drastic difference to what the U.S. title meant only a few months prior when John Cena was in possession of it.
At Extreme Rules, Rusev put Kalisto's championship reign to a merciful end by beating him in clean fashion. Kalisto also lost the rematch on SmackDown days later, and beyond that point, he was hardly more over than he was prior to winning the strap the first time. He and Baron Corbin recently had a solid series of matches against each other, but other than that, WWE dropped the ball big time on this promising new singles star in 2016.