What to do with the US title?

[EnglishControlWwe]

It has become an onscreen running joke that Dean Ambrose has hardly defended his championship. Following reports, many have been lobbying for it to be unified with the Intercontinental championship. Personally, I don't see that happening until at least Night of Champions, otherwise the PPV would become completely superfluous. Also the much rumoured triple threat match at WrestleMania never happened, with The Shield now looking stronger than ever since they turned on The Authority.

Is this the time to make the title relevant again? Should The Authority force Dean to defend it on every show? Who could you see utilising the title best?

Out of the current heel roster, I think the only good option is Bad News Barrett. I think Christian & Alberto Del Rio would be better suited challenging for the Intercontinental championship and it's far too early for Alexander Rusev to be given a title.

What's your opinion?

 

[chicagokmc]

I think its time for Cesaro to have a nice run with that belt, actively defending on tv and ppv. I don't care if he's face, heel or tweener. The Cesaro push has already started. Give him this belt and he has something of meaning without having to rush him into the Heavyweight title scene.

 

[Softcore Holly]

Said this in another threat, but might as well repeat it here.

Have the Authority debut a new henchman(Just about any mid-card heel worth pushing will do) and have him win the title off Ambrose with the Authority's help. This puts the title in the middle of the Shield vs Authority storyline which is a very good thing, gets a heel that's probably doing nothing atm a big push and a lot of heat from being associated with the Authority along with cheating the title away, and gets helps get one of the Shield guys(most likely Reigns) more over by having him win the title back.

 

[chicagokmc]

The only problem I have with that Softcore is that, except for Kane, association with the Authority has been a family/friends thing. Batista, Orton, NAO all have ties to HHH. I don't know what mid carder you would bring in that is credible enough and flows within the context of HHH involving friends/former allies. The other thing to me is, with Batista, Orton, NAO, HHH and Steph, there are more than enough members in the Alliance, they don't need to get any bigger.

 

[Softcore Holly]

The only problem I have with that Softcore is that, except for Kane, association with the Authority has been a family/friends thing. Batista, Orton, NAO all have ties to HHH. I don't know what mid carder you would bring in that is credible enough and flows within the context of HHH involving friends/former allies. The other thing to me is, with Batista, Orton, NAO, HHH and Steph, there are more than enough members in the Alliance, they don't need to get any bigger.

I don't see the size being a problem. Orton/Batista aren't actually part of the Authority, Orton's the huge suck up and Batista is just out for himself. And after that slap from Steph I know for sure he's not part of the Authority. (atm anyway, he can easily put on a suit like Kane and "officially" join any week)

NAO I don't expect to see actively in the ring anymore, especially after what happened to Gunn at WM. They're be around for rare short tag matches but that's just about it. HHH is going to be in the ring even less, and Kane isn't going to be that active either.

Which now that I think about it brings up another benefit to adding a new member, none of the actual members are active wrestlers that can(or at least should) go every week. I would imagine having someone that can actually wrestle full time would be nice. Another thing I didn't think of that this helps is: Who fights the Shield? NAO/Kane got destroyed at WM, so that's not a option. Orton/Batista is in the title hunt so not them either. And certainly not HHH. So they need some new blood anyway.

 

[rbv13]

The only problem I have with that Softcore is that, except for Kane, association with the Authority has been a family/friends thing. Batista, Orton, NAO all have ties to HHH. I don't know what mid carder you would bring in that is credible enough and flows within the context of HHH involving friends/former allies. The other thing to me is, with Batista, Orton, NAO, HHH and Steph, there are more than enough members in the Alliance, they don't need to get any bigger.

The Authority could put a bounty on Ambrose's US Title, enticing a number of individuals to go after him. To spice things up they could even double the reward offered to Reigns and Rollins in an attempt to split the trio. Reigns and Rollins would of course stay loyal to their stable mate showing the world they are an unbreakable faction, for the time being. Eventually the swerve comes when Sheamus makes good on the bounty, turns and joins the Authority.

 

[chicagokmc]

I don't see the size being a problem. Orton/Batista aren't actually part of the Authority, Orton's the huge suck up and Batista is just out for himself. And after that slap from Steph I know for sure he's not part of the Authority. (atm anyway, he can easily put on a suit like Kane and "officially" join any week)

NAO I don't expect to see actively in the ring anymore, especially after what happened to Gunn at WM. They're be around for rare short tag matches but that's just about it. HHH is going to be in the ring even less, and Kane isn't going to be that active either.

Which now that I think about it brings up another benefit to adding a new member, none of the actual members are active wrestlers that can(or at least should) go every week. I would imagine having someone that can actually wrestle full time would be nice. Another thing I didn't think of that this helps is: Who fights the Shield? NAO/Kane got destroyed at WM, so that's not a option. Orton/Batista is in the title hunt so not them either. And certainly not HHH. So they need some new blood anyway.

Not to derail this post, but I think last Monday's Raw already laid out what the main events are going to be at Extreme Rules. I'll bet a NICKLE that the 2 main battles will be Shield vs Orton/Batista/Kane and Daniel Bryan vs HHH in a cage match (to keep his new enemies the Shield out) for the title. Of course the NAO are cannon fodder. But at the same time you saw them get over the Shield on tv and will be bodies to add in a beatdown squash scenario (the kind that all faces experience).

The rationale is, no one is going to be able to battle for the title without interference until the Shield is taken care of. Therefore Orton/Batista put their title hunts aside until they deal with this immediate problem. Like you said, we've already seen Shield vs Authority chronies and that was a squash. This Shield vs Authority story isn't going to end on TV it will get to at least one PPV. The actions of Batista and Orton show that they are strongly aligned with the Authority whether or not they are actual members. That has been the case for months, at least with Orton.

Assuming that scenario, guess what? The US belt sits uselessly with Ambrose. Unfortunately I don't think they'll make it important enough to be on the PPV. I think the Authority will find a way to make him lose the US Belt on Raw. Maybe to someone like Sheamus like rbv13 suggests.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

unify it with the IC title. In fact, if done correctly, it would really get the midcard guys over. Give like a big name star, Orton or Jericho, or hell even Batista, the IC belt, then have him feud with a younger guy (US Champion), like Cesaro or Reigns. Then have that feud culminate in a unification with the young guy winning.

 

[Softcore Holly]

Not to derail this post, but I think last Monday's Raw already laid out what the main events are going to be at Extreme Rules. I'll bet a NICKLE that the 2 main battles will be Shield vs Orton/Batista/Kane and Daniel Bryan vs HHH in a no DQ for the title. Of course the NAO are cannon fodder. But at the same time you saw them get over the Shield on tv and will be bodies to add in a beatdown squash scenario (the kind that all faces experience).

The rationale is, no one is going to be able to battle for the title without interference until the Shield is taken care of. Therefore Orton/Batista put their title hunts aside until they deal with this immediate problem.

Assuming that scenario, guess what? The US belt sits uselessly with Ambrose. Unfortunately I don't think they'll make it important enough to be on the PPV. I think the Authority will find a way to make him lose the US Belt on Raw. Maybe to someone like Sheamus like rbv13 suggests.

A nickel? I'll take that bet. But since your scenario is actually really likely, so I would've bet a lot more if I were you.

That being said I don't see Batista/Orton staying allies and away from the title hunt for long, and even at a loss the Shield won't go away with just 1 PPV. So I still see a need for new blood there, if only to keep things interesting while the bigger names are busy elsewhere.

And of course this topic is meant for the title to stop sitting uselessly with Ambrose, also it's not what they would do with the title, it's what we would do. They would just forget about it even existing since they don't care. Since that kind of thinking would make this topic really boring, it's best not to think that way.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Some of you are going to laugh but seriously, why not give Cena the US title again? This would help Bray Wyatt get over even more. It looks like Cena is not going to be involved in the WWE WH championship picture for the immediate future so why not give Cena the US Title and have him lose it to Bray Wyatt? It's stuff like that, that brings back interest in the midcard belts.

As I said above, I think they should unify the midcard belts but if they don't this idea might not be that crazy.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Jericho makes most sense for this as he can win the 10th time and thus cement his own legacy at the same time. Then he can put Cesaro over to the moon and he can hold it for a year.

But the key is to make the IC champ automatic #1 contender again, kinda like MITB they can challenge once...

 

[MCMG]

I thought they were going to use it as a method of splitting up The Shield, they might still. Right now I think it is very difficult. Obviously Ambrose needs to defend the belt but they should have people talking about the championship. Every single mid-card talent who is doing nothing should be tweeting about the US or IC title. They should be doing promos on the App about the US title. Every match they wrestle should be about getting closer to the belt and that is also the responsibility of the commentator.

Being the US or IC champ shouldn't be a bad thing. It shouldn't hold back one's career. Guys like Cena, Orton and the Miz all held midcard belts and used that time to become ready for the big one.

There should be a champion and a challenger. That much is obvious. I'd like to have a proper chasing pack for the belt. That and better feuds once a number one contender is established.

 

[CharlesKane]

Some of you are going to laugh but seriously, why not give Cena the US title again? This would help Bray Wyatt get over even more. It looks like Cena is not going to be involved in the WWE WH championship picture for the immediate future so why not give Cena the US Title and have him lose it to Bray Wyatt? It's stuff like that, that brings back interest in the midcard belts.

As I said above, I think they should unify the midcard belts but if they don't this idea might not be that crazy.

The only reason to put Bray in a title match right now would be for him to win the match and walk away leaving the belt behind. Putting a belt on the guy who wants to destroy the machine doesn't put him over, it makes him just like everyone else.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

I don't mind the US Title at all. WWE has a massive mid card so I think having two mid card titles makes sense. The only problem is how they use the title. The US Title should be on par with the IC Title and each should be stepping stones for the World Title. Now this doesn't mean that everyone who holds those titles will be in line for the World Title, but rather the guys who hold the title and get over with the title will be the guys who will move forward once they drop the title. For other guys like the Kofi's and Miz's of the world it will be a title that they hold from time to time for the sole purpose of putting over a guy on their way up that WWE have future World Title asperations for.

 

[ZexImmortal]

The Authority should debut a heel to take it from Dean (As stated before)

HHH to bring a guy from NXT into Raw EXAMPLE (Read that carefully) Bo Dallas

HHH: You wanna be famous? you wanna make an impact? nows your chance

throws him into a match aids him in winning and bam.


Now it doesnt have to be Bo Dallas but you get it

HHH: Why did I pick such a talented star to become the US champion? why didn't I send him after Bryan? why target the US champion? well its simple, see I got my main all stars gunning for Daniel Bryan, but I needed somebody to keep the flood gates closed and not let another leak like Daniel Bryan find its way to the world title. You see I selected you (Nxt wrestler) to be the US champion for a reason, ONE you will be famous, TWO you will be the guy to keep all the wanna be superstars in place, you are the one who will prevent them from even TRYING to be like Daniel Bryan. Its your job to make sure my B+ guys dont ever think about going to A class.

HHH: You see while i'm trying to fix the main event picture right now, You (Nxt wrestler) will be keeping everything else in check as far as B+ goes. Don't let me regret this. I don't want to see Dean, Seth, or Roman get past you. I dont want to see Dolph Ziggler get past you, I dont want to see Zack Ryder get past you, I dont want to see Antonio get past you. Not Kofi Kingston not Sin Cara, NO ONE.

 

[AJ1981]

I don't think Ambrose needs the US title now, he'll most likely lose it following interference from Kane in the next few weeks. Jack Swagger would be my choice to replace him. I really don't want to see an extended Cesaro/Swagger feud and moving Swagger in this direction while pushing Cesaro towards bigger things would be my preference. I could be wrong but going forward I see the IC title being used in the same role as the WHC was last year and feuded over by guys like ADR, Sheamus, Christian and Rob Van Dam (generally the upper mid-carders) and the US title being feuded over by the likes of Swagger, Ziggler, Big E, Kofi Kingston etc

 

[MC_Live]

I mentioned this earlier on another thread. For the US Title, I would have Ambrose start bragging about how long he's held it. The Authority does all they can to get the title off Ambrose as we round the 1 year mark, and try any and every challenger they can to get the belt off him. Finally, Paul Heyman walks up to Triple H and says, "I have a solution to you're problem." Cesaro is announced as #1 contender, and he says that he was the longest reigning US Champion of the last 5 years until Ambrose came along. Cesaro is upset that Ambrose stole his accolade, and wants to win back the title. They could have a PPV match, but I think the best pay off would be to have a title match as the main event of RAW when they're in a hot city like New York or Boston. One of the "smart crowds". Have Triple H come out and Pedigree Ambrose, and Cesaro can steal the title. This elevate stye title, and switches it to a guy who can focus on the title, and make it seem important. Just think of all the promos Heyman can cut on all the greats who have held the title before like Steve Austin, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Eddy Guerrero, Scott Hall, Edge, Jericho, Guerrero, so on and so on, and how Cesaro is better than all of them! Also, they can imply that Heyman is doing so for more personal gain, and they can give Brock a title match when he wants implying Triple H owes Paul a favor. I think it's a win all around.

 

[dhines1671]

Retire it. It's pointless at the moment. Have Cesaro win it and bring back the european championship belt. It lends itself perfectly to his current angle. Imagine the promos between Zeb and Heyman.

Or retire and hold a tournament to name the 1st ever WWE world TELEVISION champion. The new title would be for mid card guys that currently chase the IC or US belts.

Difference his it has to be defended on tv. (for the sake of this post i'll count main event) Once a week. It can be any of the 3 shows, but it has to be defended on atleast one each week.

It would allow guys a chance to try and go on a good 4-6 month title run. Slowly building up steam and respect with the fans. Make it feel like a big deal for midcard guys on the way up to the main event to hold the TV Title.

The IC title becomes a way to reward the older guys like they ended up doing with the World Heavyweight Championship.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Since The Shield are babyface, or at least more along the lines of tweeners, it's time to either become a fighting champion or get the title off him. As a heel, there's at least some degree of storyline logic to him defending the title infrequently; not saying that I agree with that decision, but there is something to it. As a babyface/tweener, however, Ambrose doesn't have the typically opportunistic and/or cowardly motivations of a heel.

In 3 days time, Ambrose will tie Nikita Koloff for the 4th longest US title run in history and will be tied with MVP for the 3rd longest run 15 days later. Given how little the title is being used, I'm beginning to wonder if WWE is simply gonna quietly deactivate the championship at some point. If an intention to stop using it is being discussed, then I'd just rather they unify it with the IC title rather than let it drop.

 

[Headman]

I think they should just faze the title out. Maybe five years from now start making wise cracks on tv about Dean Ambrose being the longest reigning US champion in history. There's just no reason for the belt to exist right now. And a unification match wouldn't be anything more than a formality. It wouldn't money so why bother. Just let it fade away.

 

[CultOfPersonality]

Barrett, Cesaro, Rusev or Bo Dallas would do....but not sure how you get them in a believable match with Ambrose.
Maybe The authority could put him in a gauntlet style match against a bunch of guys where the title is on the line in all of them and he finally drops it after knocking off 2/3 others.

 

[Pedigree1]

For one thing I am of the mindset,that the US and IC Titles need to be unified respectively. As some others have stated,it would bring up the mid-card talent to a whole other level.. It would be an awesome way,for guys to battle for a title and feuds that mean something. ITs not completely Dean's fault that the us title has not been defended on a regular basis,same with the IC title..

Guys like Bray,Cesaro,Big E,Roman etc could use that rub in a big way.. This would help create fresh feuds and would elevate the mid-card talent to a whole other level..

 

[TheChampionOfTheWorld]

Would like to see the title become relevant again, Ambrose could drop the belt to some, like Swagger due to interference from whoever is feuding with The Shield (so right now it could be Kane, Orton, Batista, Triple H). Ambrose wouldn't look bad in the loss, plus then you could have Swagger battle The King of Swing for the belt at the next couple of PPV's. It would definitely be a step up for the belt, plus Ambrose could use it as a stepping stone later on, saying how he long he held the belt and what not.

 

[theblasterkid]

The Authority should debut a heel to take it from Dean (As stated before)

HHH to bring a guy from NXT into Raw EXAMPLE (Read that carefully) Bo Dallas

HHH: You wanna be famous? you wanna make an impact? nows your chance

throws him into a match aids him in winning and bam.


Now it doesnt have to be Bo Dallas but you get it

HHH: Why did I pick such a talented star to become the US champion? why didn't I send him after Bryan? why target the US champion? well its simple, see I got my main all stars gunning for Daniel Bryan, but I needed somebody to keep the flood gates closed and not let another leak like Daniel Bryan find its way to the world title. You see I selected you (Nxt wrestler) to be the US champion for a reason, ONE you will be famous, TWO you will be the guy to keep all the wanna be superstars in place, you are the one who will prevent them from even TRYING to be like Daniel Bryan. Its your job to make sure my B+ guys dont ever think about going to A class.

HHH: You see while i'm trying to fix the main event picture right now, You (Nxt wrestler) will be keeping everything else in check as far as B+ goes. Don't let me regret this. I don't want to see Dean, Seth, or Roman get past you. I dont want to see Dolph Ziggler get past you, I dont want to see Zack Ryder get past you, I dont want to see Antonio get past you. Not Kofi Kingston not Sin Cara, NO ONE.

I like this! It makes a cool part in a WWE 2K14 story.

 

[jrush1978]

I remember when I first started watching wrestling (early 1989) the US and IC titles were important to me for the same reasons. A champion I considered to be very very very close to as good as the World champion, given high profile defenses on PPV, and other high level wrestlers made it clear going after those belts were important to them. For the US Title at the time the predominant champion was Lex Luger. For the IC Title it was predominately The Ultimate Warrior (RIP) & Rick Rude.

Ive seen people mention Antonio Cesaro probably more than any other name and i'd be perfectly fine with him taking the belt. But for it to work it (or the unified US/IC title) would have to be defended in high card matches on multiple PPVs. Both him and his challengers would have to speak of the belt as its important. I would give whoever the champion is a CM Punk like (in terms of length) title reign. He'd have to have defenses against guys like Sheamus, Big Show, possibly RVD, possibly Christian, maybe Big E. Pretty much anyone outside of the WWE WHC picture would have to be interested in that belt.