Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
Since March, the United States Championship has been held by Santino Marella. Santino is someone that consistently draws positive responses from the live crowds whenever he comes out. In truth, a lot of fans still enjoy his antics and seem genuinely happy to see him. Given that, it's at least understandable why Santino was given the title if not agreed with.
However, simply based on the number of complaints I've heard and read on forums throughout these months, I think it's a safe bet that a LOT of people, me included, are ready to see Santino's run ended so that a more serious reign can take place. Santino has long since gone as far as he's going to as US champ and his schtick has gotten old in my eyes. The WWE has a number of promising young guys with lots of potential on the mid-card and I think any of them might be able to do something with the title and vice versa:
Damien Sandow - While I personally think that it's unlikely, I could see Sandow as a good heel United States Champion. I've enjoyed his mic work from the beginning and he's been fun to watch inside the ring. He's comfortable in his skin and has an aggressive/athletic style in the ring. Sandow's big drawback right now is that we haven't seen a lot of him in matches, other than basically tearing through Yoshi Tatsu, Zack Ryder and a few others in 2 to 3 minutes. I think the potential is there and it wouldn't bother me to see Sandow take the title from Santino, but I also would agree with someone who thinks he's not ready and we need to see more.
Ryback - Ryback is essentially the new version of Goldberg. Since returning with his new character, Ryback has spent the past several months tearing through jobbers from the indy circuit and frequent Superstars regulars such as Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks. It's not the most original gimmick out there, but it is one that Ryback has done a good job with. He has the look, the power and the intensity to pull off this kind of gimmick. Vince is said to really like Ryback and I think Ryback is someone that we could see in the US title hunt at some point. I don't think it'll be now, however, as Ryback has yet to have a real feud. On SD! last night, we saw what MIGHT be the start of a feud with Jinder Mahal. It's nothing particularly exciting, but at least it'll be a feud and a feud is what Ryback needs in order to move forward.
Brodus Clay - In a lot of ways, Brodus Clay is like Santino Marella, only about 100 pounds or so heavier. Clay's Funkasaurus character is also something that live fans consistently respond to and Clay's done a good job with it. Let's face it, most of us were floored when Brodus Clay came out as this character rather than the big bad monster heel we were expecting. Clay's shown some legit charisma and personality with his Funkasaurus character, which I think could be better for him in the long run as it shows that he can do more than just be a stereotypical monster heel that we've seen a thousand times. Like Ryback, Clay is someone that hasn't really had a feud as of yet. Like Santino, he's booked as a safe, family friendly babyface that comes off mostly as harmless fun. Also like Santino, you get the sense that Clay is capable of more if a character change were to take place. Currently, I don't see Clay progressing any further for the time being, especially not against Santino, whom he's allied himself with in the past.
Sin Cara - Sin Cara is someone that's come to the WWE from Mexico where he dominated as Mistico. It's been a mixed response altogether for Sin Cara upon arriving. Prior to suffering a knee injury that kept him out for close to a year in 2011, Sin Cara's matches were frequent botch fests. Some blamed this on communication problems as Cara hardly speaks any English, yet he still had the same problems against wrestlers of Hispanic descent such as Del Rio, Hunico, Chavo Guerrero and Primo. Since his return, Sin Cara's botches have very much decreased and he does bring a unique, high flying offense. The Lucha Libre style is something that a lot of American fans aren't exposed to and it's a novelty that makes Sin Cara stand out. Hispanics are among WWE's biggest growing viewers, so having Sin Cara as the United States Champion has something of a novelty to it in and of itself. At the same time, I don't see a title in Sin Cara's immediate future. He just came back from serious injury and I still get the sense that he's someone that's still trying to work the bugs out. Given his botching, his lack of English skills (presuming he still barely speaks English) and his return; I just don't see WWE taking the risk on him right now. Someday maybe, but not now.
Tyson Kidd - According to reports, it's been said that Tyson Kidd is going to be getting a push in the near future. Qualifying for the World Heavyweight Championship MITB match and scoring a clean win over Tensai were certainly surprises. As far as his in-ring ability goes, Tyson Kidd is a star in my eyes. He has a nice mix of athleticism, high flying and mat techniques. He fits a similar mold in terms of ability, look and size as a lot of guys in WWE. Most of the top guys in WWE are probably between 5'10" and 6'0" tall and weigh 200-220 lbs. Kidd's problem has always been promos. The few times I've heard him talk, he's given some pretty sorry ass performances. If Kidd can bring that up to speck, then I could see him at least as a viable World Championship contender in a year or two. I think the United States Championship would be a good place for Kidd right now. The title needs a fresh start and Kidd's someone that's been slowly and steadily building support among fans since the Hart Dynasty broke up. He's getting good pops from fans and has been for a while, so I think he could be a good babyface champ if given a shot. He's also made some waves as part of a tag team with Justin Gabriel, so Kidd is someone that does have solid potential as either a singles or tag team wrestler right now.
Justin Gabriel - Gabriel has suffered from the same sorts of problems as Kidd, though I do believe he's better on the mic than Kidd. Gabriel is fast, agile, athletic and has a fun, high paced offense inside the ring. He & Kidd make a good team, but I think Kidd is the stronger singles competitor right now. I don't think Gabriel is a viable contender for the title, but he's got potential I believe.
Drew McIntyre - In my eyes, McIntyre is one of the most underused and underrated guys on the WWE roster. McIntyre has done nothing but improve and improve considerably since dropping the Intercontinental Championship. He's much better in the ring, he's actually improved on the mic by a solid degree, he's much better at conveying emotions rather than the glowering, deadpan delivery he used to do during his intial push. McIntyre is now mostly on Superstars or the rebranded NXT. McIntyre is someone that's quite young, I think he's only 27 or 28, so I'm hoping that WWE is smart enough to see what they have with him over time. The fact that he hasn't been released gives me some comfort, quite frankly. In the past, the WWE has pushed some of their top guys too quickly, resuling in them peaking far to soon and sometimes losing steam. For instance, both Cena & Orton were World Champions when they were in their mid 20s. I could see McIntyre as a United States Champion. It wouldn't take much work, I think, to get McIntyre there.
Cody Rhodes - I don't think that anybody can deny that Cody Rhodes may honestly be the best Intercontinental Champion the WWE has seen in over a decade. Cody Rhodes' first run as champion, in many ways, did remind me of the runs of some of the great champs of the past. Rhodes, while very young, brought a sense of stability & relevance to the title that it really hadn't had in quite a while. With a run of more than 230 days, it's among the 10 longest reigns in the history of the title. I can definitely see Cody Rhodes being used to do for the United States Championship what he helped do for the IC title. Rhodes is only 27 years old and while I wouldn't mind seeing him pushed right to the main event scene, I can at least understand WWE wanting to wait. Cody Rhodes has improved vastly over roughly 2.5 years both inside the ring, on the mic and just as a presence overall. He's a young, talented guy that could do a lot for the title.
Daniel Bryan - From an overall standpoint, I don't think any WWE wrestler has improved more in 2012 than Daniel Bryan. He went from being a relatively bland babyface to being one of the most over heels on the entire roster all within the span of a month or so. Bryan's delivered some great promos and has had some of the best matches you'll see this year. He's good enough inside the ring to make cage matches against The Big Show & Mark Henry entertaining, so that in and of itself says he's among the best in the world. I can see someone saying that Bryan going after the United States Championship would be a demotion. After all, since December, Bryan is someone that's either been carrying or chasing a World Championship and has been in some of the most high profile angles in the company. However, putting Bryan back as a mid-card champion and giving him a strong run gives him something relevant to do because I have a feeling he's pretty much out of the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship pictures for the time being. It looks like we're going to have Sheamus & Del Rio for a while, then maybe Sheamus & Ziggler again after that. Over on Raw, it's going to be CM Punk & John Cena for sure, probably Big Show will be included in that scene as well. AJ is the Raw GM, not sure how it'll work out, but the angle involving AJ and Bryan appears to be over. There's talk that there MIGHT, just MIGHT, be a match between Bryan & Charlie Sheen at SummerSlam. Given the choice, I'd rather see Bryan booked as a strong US champ rather than have him job out at a major ppv for the human trainwreck that is Charlie Sheen. It'll generate lots of buzz I'm sure, but Bryan's too good for that in my eyes. But, unfortunately, I see a Bryan vs. Sheen program more likely than Bryan bringing glory back to the United States Championship.
Antonio Cesaro - Since the stock of the US title is pretty low at the moment, I think Antonio Cesaro might be in the ideal spot to take the title from Santino. With the possible exceptions of Kidd & Gabriel, Cesaro's current stock is possibly lower than that of anybody else I've listed. Cesaro is still quite new and he's only been in a handful of matches the past few months. I've liked what I've seen out of him thus far, however. What encourages me the most is that Cesaro scored a clean win over Santino on SmackDown! last night in a non-title match. Michael Cole was saying that this win should put Cesaro in the running for a title shot, which I'm hoping is forshadowing things to come.
Who do you think should take the title from Santino Marella? Any of these guys or is there someone else that you have in mind?
However, simply based on the number of complaints I've heard and read on forums throughout these months, I think it's a safe bet that a LOT of people, me included, are ready to see Santino's run ended so that a more serious reign can take place. Santino has long since gone as far as he's going to as US champ and his schtick has gotten old in my eyes. The WWE has a number of promising young guys with lots of potential on the mid-card and I think any of them might be able to do something with the title and vice versa:
Damien Sandow - While I personally think that it's unlikely, I could see Sandow as a good heel United States Champion. I've enjoyed his mic work from the beginning and he's been fun to watch inside the ring. He's comfortable in his skin and has an aggressive/athletic style in the ring. Sandow's big drawback right now is that we haven't seen a lot of him in matches, other than basically tearing through Yoshi Tatsu, Zack Ryder and a few others in 2 to 3 minutes. I think the potential is there and it wouldn't bother me to see Sandow take the title from Santino, but I also would agree with someone who thinks he's not ready and we need to see more.
Ryback - Ryback is essentially the new version of Goldberg. Since returning with his new character, Ryback has spent the past several months tearing through jobbers from the indy circuit and frequent Superstars regulars such as Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks. It's not the most original gimmick out there, but it is one that Ryback has done a good job with. He has the look, the power and the intensity to pull off this kind of gimmick. Vince is said to really like Ryback and I think Ryback is someone that we could see in the US title hunt at some point. I don't think it'll be now, however, as Ryback has yet to have a real feud. On SD! last night, we saw what MIGHT be the start of a feud with Jinder Mahal. It's nothing particularly exciting, but at least it'll be a feud and a feud is what Ryback needs in order to move forward.
Brodus Clay - In a lot of ways, Brodus Clay is like Santino Marella, only about 100 pounds or so heavier. Clay's Funkasaurus character is also something that live fans consistently respond to and Clay's done a good job with it. Let's face it, most of us were floored when Brodus Clay came out as this character rather than the big bad monster heel we were expecting. Clay's shown some legit charisma and personality with his Funkasaurus character, which I think could be better for him in the long run as it shows that he can do more than just be a stereotypical monster heel that we've seen a thousand times. Like Ryback, Clay is someone that hasn't really had a feud as of yet. Like Santino, he's booked as a safe, family friendly babyface that comes off mostly as harmless fun. Also like Santino, you get the sense that Clay is capable of more if a character change were to take place. Currently, I don't see Clay progressing any further for the time being, especially not against Santino, whom he's allied himself with in the past.
Sin Cara - Sin Cara is someone that's come to the WWE from Mexico where he dominated as Mistico. It's been a mixed response altogether for Sin Cara upon arriving. Prior to suffering a knee injury that kept him out for close to a year in 2011, Sin Cara's matches were frequent botch fests. Some blamed this on communication problems as Cara hardly speaks any English, yet he still had the same problems against wrestlers of Hispanic descent such as Del Rio, Hunico, Chavo Guerrero and Primo. Since his return, Sin Cara's botches have very much decreased and he does bring a unique, high flying offense. The Lucha Libre style is something that a lot of American fans aren't exposed to and it's a novelty that makes Sin Cara stand out. Hispanics are among WWE's biggest growing viewers, so having Sin Cara as the United States Champion has something of a novelty to it in and of itself. At the same time, I don't see a title in Sin Cara's immediate future. He just came back from serious injury and I still get the sense that he's someone that's still trying to work the bugs out. Given his botching, his lack of English skills (presuming he still barely speaks English) and his return; I just don't see WWE taking the risk on him right now. Someday maybe, but not now.
Tyson Kidd - According to reports, it's been said that Tyson Kidd is going to be getting a push in the near future. Qualifying for the World Heavyweight Championship MITB match and scoring a clean win over Tensai were certainly surprises. As far as his in-ring ability goes, Tyson Kidd is a star in my eyes. He has a nice mix of athleticism, high flying and mat techniques. He fits a similar mold in terms of ability, look and size as a lot of guys in WWE. Most of the top guys in WWE are probably between 5'10" and 6'0" tall and weigh 200-220 lbs. Kidd's problem has always been promos. The few times I've heard him talk, he's given some pretty sorry ass performances. If Kidd can bring that up to speck, then I could see him at least as a viable World Championship contender in a year or two. I think the United States Championship would be a good place for Kidd right now. The title needs a fresh start and Kidd's someone that's been slowly and steadily building support among fans since the Hart Dynasty broke up. He's getting good pops from fans and has been for a while, so I think he could be a good babyface champ if given a shot. He's also made some waves as part of a tag team with Justin Gabriel, so Kidd is someone that does have solid potential as either a singles or tag team wrestler right now.
Justin Gabriel - Gabriel has suffered from the same sorts of problems as Kidd, though I do believe he's better on the mic than Kidd. Gabriel is fast, agile, athletic and has a fun, high paced offense inside the ring. He & Kidd make a good team, but I think Kidd is the stronger singles competitor right now. I don't think Gabriel is a viable contender for the title, but he's got potential I believe.
Drew McIntyre - In my eyes, McIntyre is one of the most underused and underrated guys on the WWE roster. McIntyre has done nothing but improve and improve considerably since dropping the Intercontinental Championship. He's much better in the ring, he's actually improved on the mic by a solid degree, he's much better at conveying emotions rather than the glowering, deadpan delivery he used to do during his intial push. McIntyre is now mostly on Superstars or the rebranded NXT. McIntyre is someone that's quite young, I think he's only 27 or 28, so I'm hoping that WWE is smart enough to see what they have with him over time. The fact that he hasn't been released gives me some comfort, quite frankly. In the past, the WWE has pushed some of their top guys too quickly, resuling in them peaking far to soon and sometimes losing steam. For instance, both Cena & Orton were World Champions when they were in their mid 20s. I could see McIntyre as a United States Champion. It wouldn't take much work, I think, to get McIntyre there.
Cody Rhodes - I don't think that anybody can deny that Cody Rhodes may honestly be the best Intercontinental Champion the WWE has seen in over a decade. Cody Rhodes' first run as champion, in many ways, did remind me of the runs of some of the great champs of the past. Rhodes, while very young, brought a sense of stability & relevance to the title that it really hadn't had in quite a while. With a run of more than 230 days, it's among the 10 longest reigns in the history of the title. I can definitely see Cody Rhodes being used to do for the United States Championship what he helped do for the IC title. Rhodes is only 27 years old and while I wouldn't mind seeing him pushed right to the main event scene, I can at least understand WWE wanting to wait. Cody Rhodes has improved vastly over roughly 2.5 years both inside the ring, on the mic and just as a presence overall. He's a young, talented guy that could do a lot for the title.
Daniel Bryan - From an overall standpoint, I don't think any WWE wrestler has improved more in 2012 than Daniel Bryan. He went from being a relatively bland babyface to being one of the most over heels on the entire roster all within the span of a month or so. Bryan's delivered some great promos and has had some of the best matches you'll see this year. He's good enough inside the ring to make cage matches against The Big Show & Mark Henry entertaining, so that in and of itself says he's among the best in the world. I can see someone saying that Bryan going after the United States Championship would be a demotion. After all, since December, Bryan is someone that's either been carrying or chasing a World Championship and has been in some of the most high profile angles in the company. However, putting Bryan back as a mid-card champion and giving him a strong run gives him something relevant to do because I have a feeling he's pretty much out of the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship pictures for the time being. It looks like we're going to have Sheamus & Del Rio for a while, then maybe Sheamus & Ziggler again after that. Over on Raw, it's going to be CM Punk & John Cena for sure, probably Big Show will be included in that scene as well. AJ is the Raw GM, not sure how it'll work out, but the angle involving AJ and Bryan appears to be over. There's talk that there MIGHT, just MIGHT, be a match between Bryan & Charlie Sheen at SummerSlam. Given the choice, I'd rather see Bryan booked as a strong US champ rather than have him job out at a major ppv for the human trainwreck that is Charlie Sheen. It'll generate lots of buzz I'm sure, but Bryan's too good for that in my eyes. But, unfortunately, I see a Bryan vs. Sheen program more likely than Bryan bringing glory back to the United States Championship.
Antonio Cesaro - Since the stock of the US title is pretty low at the moment, I think Antonio Cesaro might be in the ideal spot to take the title from Santino. With the possible exceptions of Kidd & Gabriel, Cesaro's current stock is possibly lower than that of anybody else I've listed. Cesaro is still quite new and he's only been in a handful of matches the past few months. I've liked what I've seen out of him thus far, however. What encourages me the most is that Cesaro scored a clean win over Santino on SmackDown! last night in a non-title match. Michael Cole was saying that this win should put Cesaro in the running for a title shot, which I'm hoping is forshadowing things to come.
Who do you think should take the title from Santino Marella? Any of these guys or is there someone else that you have in mind?
