8 Wrestlers Who Restored The Value Of Championships
6. John Cena (WWE United States Championship)
John Cena’s 2015 United States title reign came about in somewhat depressing circumstances.
Rusev and Lana were absolutely flying as WWE’s resident Soviet menaces, with The Bulgarian Brute well on his way to becoming one of WWE’s biggest and baddest heels. Rusev ran afoul of Cena and, after eating four consecutive losses, Rusev is still recovering from one of the most epic burials in Cena’s history.
That being said, it’s impossible to say that Cena didn’t raise the bar as United States Champion. Rusev was a solid champion himself, but Cena was (and still is) the biggest wrestling star on the planet, and WWE’s number one draw. Putting the belt on him made it feel important by proxy, and Cena always treated the US Title like it was the most important thing in the world to him.
Cena’s 2015 reign saw him introduce the “US Title Open Challenge” to Monday Night Raw, allowing him to put the title on the line in a slew of top quality exhibition matches. The likes of Dean Ambrose, Bad News Barrett, and Cesaro would answer the call, and the segment regularly produced some of WWE’s most entertaining weekly television.
The open challenge was also responsible for introducing Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens to WWE’s mainstream audience, with Cena’s ensuing series of matches with Owens proving particularly enjoyable. Cena’s reign ended at Seth Rollins’ hands thanks to an interference from TV personality Jon Stewart, but the US Title has rarely felt more important.