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John Cena has held a lot of Championships throughout his WWE career. He is a 13-time WWE Champion, a three-time World Heavyweight Champion, and a five-time United States Champion. After almost being released by WWE, John Cena won his first title in the promotion when he defeated Big Show at WrestleMania XX.
Since it's inception, the United States Championship has seen countless great reigns by names such as Rick Rude, Daniel Bryan, Rusev, and the late, great, Eddie Guerrero. But when John Cena won the U.S. Title in 2015, his championship reign was among the best and could easily be the last great U.S. title reign. Here are the reasons why John Cena's 2015 U.S. Title Reign was special.
#4. The buildup to John Cena and Rusev's WrestleMania 31 match was entertaining
At the time, Rusev was in the middle of a reign that would last 145 days and was undefeated in the WWE. Now, WWE has overdone the classic trope of foreign wrestlers standing against America, and it seems that every foreigner in the promotion has to be a heel. But for Rusev, this trope worked like magic.
After Rusev defeated John Cena at Fastlane 2015, the buildup to their WrestleMania 31 match was beautiful. John Cena was getting crushed (pun intended) every time he and Rusev faced off, and Rusev continued to grow even stronger. Rusev had to agree to a rematch at WrestleMania 31 at some point. Eventually, with the help of a long-held STF on the Bulgarian Brute, Lana accepted the rematch, and John Cena vs. Rusev was set for the Grandest Stage of Them All in 2015.
#3. John Cena's U.S. Title victory resulted in a few accomplishments
While Rusev and John Cena's WrestleMania 31 match wasn't a five-star barnburner, the match accomplished a few things. In the end, it only took one Attitude Adjustment maneuver to beat Rusev, but throughout the entire match, The Bulgarian Brute looked like a powerhouse of a man.
John Cena always gets a lot of flak for 'burying' other talent, but this match did not completely derail Rusev's momentum by any means. After all, Rusev came out of a tank in one of the best WrestleMania entrances of the 2010s. Many people strongly believed that Cena would win here, but there were countless times in the match where people doubted that same prediction. Again, the clash wasn't an instant classic, but it benefited everybody involved.
#2. John Cena's U.S. Title Open Challenges were excellent
John Cena's United States Championship open challenges are the main reason why this title reign was so successful. The WWE Universe has always been treated with open challenges over the years, but the series of open challenges that John Cena held during his United States Championship run was absolutely masterful.
WWE used these open challenges to give more screentime to their lesser-known Superstars. John Cena defended the United States title against names like Dean Ambrose, Stardust, Wade Barrett, Neville, Zack Ryder, and Cesaro.
These bouts weren't five-minute squash matches either. Almost all of the open challenges were great matches that made Cena's opponents look strong even in defeat. WWE gave their fanbase a glimpse into the future of the promotion through the aforementioned open challenges.
Even though Cena was never defeated in an open challenge, his opponents came off looking very impressive. Neville wasn't seen much by the WWE Universe, but when he accepted John Cena's open challenge, it was a huge occasion for 'The Man That Gravity Forgot'.
During this time, John Cena even ended his feud with Rusev. Rusev took some time off after WrestleMania 31, but returned in the middle of Cena's reign, attacking him with a chain. This lead to a Russian Chain match at Extreme Rules, and an "I Quit" match at Payback, with John Cena retaining both times.
Every open challenge was a meaningful match that let a younger star showcase his skills week in and week out, and this particular aspect of Cena's U.S. Title reign may never be perfectly replicated again.
#1. Kevin Owens got his mainstream spotlight in a major feud with John Cena
After John Cena ended his feud with Rusev, he came out on RAW and declared an open challenge for the United States Championship. The fans and John Cena himself were all caught off guard, as the then-NXT Champion, Kevin Owens, answered the challenge. This was a time when NXT wasn't as big with the casual WWE fanbase, but everybody involved did a phenomenal job in making Kevin Owens look like a huge star on the main roster.
Owens and Cena's feud accomplished several objectives. First off, it showcased Owens in a big way. The feud also promoted the upcoming NXT TakeOver and NXT as a whole, while Owens put over his title and his feud with Sami Zayn.
At the 2018 Elimination Chamber, Cena and Owens faced off in a fantastic match. Both guys looked incredible in back-and-forth action, and Owens beat John Cena clean in the end. The match was superb, but the finish to it was surprising.
When Owens won, it not only put him over, but his victory also put over an entire brand. Kevin Owens defeated John Cena and put NXT on the map for the casual fans, and it made people wonder what exactly went down in Full Sail University. Having Kevin Owens defeat John Cena on pay-per-view was a very risky decision, but it paid off in the end.
The way John Cena lost the United States Championship may have been lackluster, to say the least. Seth Rollins was the WWE World Heavyweight Champion at the time, and his feud against Cena to become a double champion was a good storyline. Their match itself wasn't too bad. But fans had a problem with how Jon Stewart cost Cena the title. Despite the loss, John Cena's 2015 United States Championship reign may be the last great U.S. title reign that fans and critics have seen in modern-day WWE.
