Who is the greatest US Champion in history?

[That N Word]

So WWE now has a DVD coming out of the greatest United States Champions in history. All-Time Greats has held that title including Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat,Lex Luger,Ric Flair,Booker T,The Big Show,Eddie Guerrero,Dusty Rhodes,John Cena,Steve Austin,Greg "The Hammer" Valentine,Chris Benoit,Harley Race,"Ravishing" Rick Rude,etc. We have also seen guys like MVP have great reigns with the title. My question is who is the greatest US Champion of All-Time? I mean all those names above definitely stake a claim. And with me being born in the late 90's maybe I'm a little bias and I know I'm gonna catch heat for saying this but I'm going with Cena. Yeah, most would say either Flair or Luger, but I'm going with Cena.

Why? His first title he won in WWE, in his first WrestleMania Match was the US Title. He then went on to become a 5x time record US Champion (tied with Ric Flair for most.) Not only that, but the fact that in 2015 he made the US Title the best part of WWE programming with his US Title Open Challenge. He actually brought the belt up from "title that was just there" to a Main Event worthy championship. Putting on 4 and 5 Star matches on a regular. His US Title Open Challenges put KO on the map and brought Cesaro up from obscurity. Even though WWE botched the finish with the Del Rio return. It was still a pretty damn good title reign. In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing it again.

But that's just MY opinion. Who do you see as the greatest US Champion of all-time? Flair? Cena? Luger? Guerrero? Austin? Dusty? Race? Sound off in the comments!!!

 

[Makaveli31]

The United States Championship will ALWAYS be an NWA title. I don't even know how you can put this list together without including Tully Blanchard and Magnum TA who engaged in an EPIC feud over the U.S. title culminating in the "I Quit' steel cage match.

There is also the Magnum TA/Nikita Koloff Best of Seven feud which changed both men.

To me it's Magnum TA.

 

[estmark1981]

The US Title was NWA/WCW's equivalent of the WWF's Intercontinental Title. The WWF(E) took that title and turned into a lower mid card title. It never had the meaning it did in NWA/WCW. John Cena as the best? Need to check your history.

Harley Race Johnny Valentine Terry Funk Paul Jones Blackjack Mulligan Bobo Brazil Ric Flair Ricky Steamboat Mr. Wrestling Jimmy Snuka Roddy Piper Wahoo McDaniel Sgt. Slaughter Greg Valentine Dick Slater Magnum T.A. Tully Blanchard Nikita Koloff Lex Luger Dusty Rhodes Barry Windham Michael Hayes Stan Hansen Sting Rick Rude Dustin Rhodes Steve Austin Jim Duggan Big Van Vader Kensuke Sasaki One Man Gang Konnan Eddy Guerrero Dean Malenko Jeff Jarrett Steve McMichael Curt Hennig Diamond Dallas Page Raven Goldberg Bret Hart Scott Hall Scott Steiner David Flair Chris Benoit Sid Vicious Lance Storm Gen. Rection Shane Douglas Rick Steiner Booker T.

No one the WWE, with a few exceptions, who held the US title are no where close to the level of superstars like those listed above. Not saying all of the guys in the list were great by any means. But the majority of them are. The majority of these guys are legends.

 

[dsotm5150]

I have to agree with the majority here, if you truly want to talk about the United States Heavyweight Championship you have to go back to the days of the NWA/WCW. That's a journey that started with Harley Race on January 1st, 1975 and ended with Booker T on March 26, 2001. Pre-WCW, holding the U.S. Championship meant you were almost ready for primetime, and it was only a matter of time until you were going to be battling for the World Heavyweight Championship, superstars like Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat are just a handful of men who would hold this belt before going on to super stardom.

 

[Makaveli31]

Let's narrow this down a little bit.

Technically, Mid-Atlantic's version of the U.S. title did not become the nationally recognized United States championship until Jan of '81 when the San Francisco territory folded which was the last territory to recognize it's own U.S. Championship.

The when Crockett gained full control of the World Heavyweight Championship in 1986 it became the secondary title to the World Heavyweight Championship.

To me, I didn't like how WCW used the belt in the Bischoff-Hogan era. I took a backseat to the World Heavyweight title (carried by Hogan) and the tag team titles (carried by the Outsiders). I don't remember any feuds like the Magnum-Tully feud or the Magnum-Nikita feud which made the US (to me) just as important (if not MORE important than the World title).

I would day the PRIME of the title happened from '85 to '88 when Barry Windham defeated Nikita for the title. So you had Magnum, Tully, Nikita, Barry, Dusty, and Luger all in that mix.

The next era I would say is '81-'84 in Mid-Atlantic, that's where you have Roddy Piper, Greg Valentine, Wahoo, and Sgt. Slaughter.

Then you have the '89-'94 era with Sting, Rude, and Dustin Rhodes.

Those are the top era's in my opinion.

 

[Makaveli31]

So I would have

1. Magnum TA (who had two reigns and defeated Wahoo and Tully plus fought Nikita in a best of seven)

2. Nikita (defeated Magnum in a best of seven and held it from Aug of '86 to July of '87 almost a full year)

3. Wahoo (who had five reigns as US Champion

4. Lex (who had five reigns (four really) as US Champion

5. Tully Blanchard

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Even though I'm not much of a fan, I had to go with Lex Luger. To me, Luger became synonymous with the NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Championship in the late 80s to early 90s. For about 4 years, from mid 1987 to about mid 1991 and was champ, during that time, for a total of 947 days. Again, while not a big Luger fan, he had long, memorable runs with memorable programs and I thought he was at the peak of his career; Luger is a mid-card to upper mid-card guy who was elevated to the main event and I've always just had trouble seeing him as a main event level guy.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

Of all the great US Champions in the past, I can't get past John Cena as greatest US Champion in the belts history. He's won it multiple times, and raised the belts value last year by having the U.S Open Challenge, making the unknown opponent engaging T.V every week, with his matches alone. Plus, he'd have good matches with whomever came out to challenge him. That U.S Open Challenge is one of, if not THE most memorable run with a U.S title. I vote Cena.

 

[Gallops77]

Of all the great US Champions in the past, I can't get past John Cena as greatest US Champion in the belts history. He's won it multiple times, and raised the belts value last year by having the U.S Open Challenge, making the unknown opponent engaging T.V every week, with his matches alone. Plus, he'd have good matches with whomever came out to challenge him. That U.S Open Challenge is one of, if not THE most memorable run with a U.S title. I vote Cena.

The US Title died with WCW. Anything that happened in WWE as far as I'm concerned doesn't matter with the belt. WWE made the US Title a joke until Cena won it. Then he lost it and it's a joke again. I won't include Cena as the best US Champ ever because he wasn't. He beat nobodies for the title and defended against guys who are nobodies aside from Seth Rollins.

Best ever in my mind is Ric Flair. 6 time champ. One of the best wrestlers of all time.

My top 5:

Flair
Luger
Race
Sting
Then maybe Cena based on number of reigns and what he did for the belt at the time.

Right now though, Kalisto is champ and a miserable one at that. For the US Title to be defended TWO PPVS IN A ROW in the preshow is a disgrace to guys like Flair, Luger, Harley Race and Sting to brought prestige to the title. They need to make the US Title mean something again.

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

As great talent as the WCW guys are/were and I'm not a huge Cena mark by any means, but you gotta give the man his due. Cena to me had the most memorable runs with the US title. He legit made the title relevant in 2015 after numerous forgettable champs except Cesaro and Rusev. The Cena/Carlito program was awesome. Cena even had a good program with Big Show where he FU'd Show to win it at WM 20??

 

[Makaveli31]

You COULD argue Flair belongs on the list. His feud with Steamboat in the late '70's in the Mid-Atlantic territory is the stuff of legends. Flair says it was actually BETTER than the legendary feud they had in '89 which was incredible. BUT as I mentioned. The Mid-Atlantic's version was a TERRITORY version until 1981. Seriously, how many people here can say they watched any of the matches? I don't think it can compare to the Magnum/Nikita or Magnum/Tully feuds.

Harley Race? How did he get on the list? He was a great World Champion but U.S. Champions?? I don't think so.

I wouldn't put Sting or Luger ahead of Wahoo, Magnum, Nikita,or Tully on their worst day. Better workers, better matches, and better feuds. Luger and Sting were champions at an extremely down time in the wrestling business. Luger and Sting couldn't touch those four as far as the U.S. title goes.

 

[Vintage]

Rick Rude. When he held the US title it meant something. He got the strap from sting and held on to that thing forever it seemed. He was main eventing with the world champion and always just coming up short. If it wasn't for the neck injury he probably would have won the wcw int'l title again from sting while holding the US title

I really can't believe so many people voted for Cena. I'm in no way surprised but..wow


Steve Austin doesn't belong on this list.. he's definitely the best TV champ not named Anderson unless I'm forgetting someone important

 

[yourdamnluck]

I haven't seen much of WCW except for a few matches on youtube, so i'll have to say cena. His first run was awesome. It was the run that made John Cena who he is. He was also the co-main event coz of the brand split.
His recent run was nothing short of phenomenal, i just wish he had lost it to Cesaro or KO..

 

[realoldskoolfan]

You have to be too young to know of NWA/JCP to be naming Cena. I will admit his US open challenge elevated the WWE version of the belt to heights it probably never had but it still pales in comparison to what that belt meant in the 80s. I challenge anybody to go and watch Magnum TA and Nikita Koloff's best of 7 series and try arguing that the US belt at that time wasn't more prestigious than some other major companies main titles.
I'd like to make an argument that Dusty be taken off this list. He had one run with the belt with no significant angle or fued involving the title and had a reign that lasted about 3 months before he was kayfabe "suspended" and stripped of the belt

 

[TDFG]

I voted Luger, purely for the fact Luger was feuding with Stan Hansen for the US Title when I first started watching wrestling in 1990/91.

 

[Makaveli31]

John Cena?!? Lex Luger?!? Rick Rude?!?

I seriously don't know how ANYONE can out those names over the likes of Magnum TA, Nikita Koloff, or Wahoo McDaniel.

Wahoo was simply one of the greatest of all time. His feuds in the Mid-Atlantic territory against the likes of Johnny Valentine, Ric Flair, and Greg Valentine are legendary for their sheer brutality. Brutal and bloody matches and back and forth title exchanges over the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship.

Then Wahoo engaged in epic, bloody feuds with the likes of Roddy Piper and Sgt. Slaughter over the U.S. Heavyweight title. He then feuded with Ricky Steamboat before losing it to Magnum TA in a bloody cage match. In all, Wahoo McDaniel won the U.S. Heavyweight Championship a record five times.

 

[justtxyank]

Luger definitely belongs on the list but most of the others don't.

Magnum TA should be on there FOR sure as should Wahoo.

I'd be fine with arguments for Wahoo, Magnum, Luger, Sgt. Slaughter, heck even Bret Hart or DDP.

Luger's run in the early 90s that included an awesome feud with Hansen is definitely up there and not because it was the longest one on record. Even his late 90s feud with Bret Hart for the title was good.

 

[relentless1]

Luger. Guy was the longest US champion and had the most reigns

 

[rmp0012002]

The WWWF had a U.S. champion back in the 60's held by guys like Buddy Rogers and Bobo Brazil but it meant nothing just as when WWE continued the title after taking over WCW, it had no value in being the champion.
The U.S. belt at its height was during two periods. The MACW of the 70's to early 80's with Piper, Flair, Steamboat, Valentine and Wahoo then the mid 80's to early 90's with Wahoo and Magnum leading to Nikita, Steamboat and Luger. Flair was also champion in that later era.
So many stars and feuds over that belt in MACW that the WWE version, although it carries the title lineage of the Crockett belt, was so watered down and barely pushed that holding it was pretty meaningless.