Kalisto Crowned New WWE US Champion On RAW

Alberto Del Rio was forced to defend his championship...and he lost.

During what overall was a pretty lacklustre edition of WWE's Monday night RAW, the most memorable point came about halfway through the show when the United States Championship belt changed hands in what was the best match-up of the night. U.S. Champion Alberto Del Rio defended his belt against Kalisto. Following a non-title match victory over Del Rio last week during the inaugural edition of WWE SmackDown on the USA Network, it seemed as though Kalisto was in-line for a title shot. WWE teased that a title match might take place in their official "Five Point Preview" for RAW before Monday's show, and the match was officially announced during the broadcast. https://twitter.com/KalistoWWE/status/686776569768062976 When John Cena came back from filming a reality show for FOX television at the end of December, it was clear WWE planned on continuing the storyline between he and Del Rio (the man John lost the U.S. title to back at Hell In A Cell). However, Cena's new injury has forced WWE to pivot in direction, and Kalisto seemed like a logical choice from several different perspectives. WWE has long been yearning for a star to market to the Latino community, ever since Rey Mysterio officially departed the company. Further, Kalisto really made a name for himself last month at TLC in the triple threat ladder match due to the insane Salida del Sol off the ladder he executed towards the finish of the bout. With some momentum behind him over the last couple of weeks, Kalisto's championship victory shows WWE is beyond him for the time being in trying to create a new star while the iron is hot. Kalisto is slated to defend the belt against Del Rio this Thursday night on SmackDown in a championship re-match. Do you think he will hang on to the belt, or do you think his championship reign will be short-lived?
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Ryan is a sports fanatic, technology junkie, and avid gamer.