'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On December 26, a WWE Live Event at Madison Square Garden saw Rey Mysterio defend his United States Championship against Andrade.
Andrade, who was accompanied to the ring by his manager Zelina Vega, managed to win his first main roster Championship at the event after he defeated Mysterio. The win allowed Andrade to pick up his first title reign on RAW and has allowed the Superstar’s stock to rise overnight.
Even though title changes aren’t too common at Live Events, there are some interesting reasons why WWE may have allowed Andrade to pick up the victory on an untelevised show.
In this article, we'll look at the 5 contenders who can step up to Andrade and challenge him for his United States Championship.
#5 Cedric Alexander
Former Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander has had some mixed bookings on RAW. He’s delivered some really strong performances, with the most recent one coming against Bobby Lashley, but he's come up short in most of them. While it seems many other Superstars are faring better on RAW compared to Alexander, the company could look to give him a boost once again.
Andrade will be looking for a good first rivalry for his United States Championship, and Alexander can provide just that and more.
As a high-flying wrestler who shows a lot of heart, it will be great watching the babyface take on the heel who has surprised everyone with his victory over Rey Mysterio to win the US Championship.
Alexander could prove to be a great first opponent for Andrade, and a rivalry between them can help both Superstars grow on the main roster even if Alexander fails to win the title in the end.
#4 Rusev
Fans have been introduced to a new and refreshed Rusev in recent weeks, fresh out of a puzzling storyline.
Rusev has recently been divorced on-screen and taken on his ex-wife’s soon to be husband Bobby Lashley in a match.
While fans would be hoping that we’ve seen the last of the three Superstars together, WWE may be looking to extend the rivalry a little bit longer before calling it quits, as they’ve spent months in its development.
However, the storyline has allowed Rusev Day to make a return, and the Superstar has become a crowd favorite once again and a top babyface. This will allow him to get into good rivalries after he’s done with Lashley, and compete with some top heels on RAW soon.
With that in mind, he could take on Andrade for the United States Championship soon, as we’ve seen Rusev in several US Championship storylines before.
The two men could have some good matches, as they have diverse fighting styles, and we could watch Rusev become the US Champion once again in 2020.
#3 Randy Orton
Randy Orton is one of the most decorated Superstars in WWE’s history and is arguably the most successful man actively competing on RAW.
The Viper recently turned face in a rivalry with former United States Champion AJ Styles, and while fans believed that these two men would compete for the US Championship, Orton helped Mysterio win it against Styles.
Styles and Orton will most likely remain in a rivalry for some time to come, as they have an interesting story going on which could last for a few weeks, or even months.
Since Andrade has just won his first main roster championship, it’s unlikely that the company will be looking to take it off him so soon.
In that case, Orton could get over his feud with Styles first and then get into a feud with Andrade as a babyface, which will help his cause in winning another Championship in the company.
Orton could have a really good feud in his new character against someone like Andrade, and it will be great to watch how these two men go against each other with a title on the line.
#2 Aleister Black
Aleister Black has proven to be one of RAW’s best imports in recent times. The ruthless Dutch Destroyer has had a few rivalries on the main roster, but none has allowed him to get over in a big way. Yet, his performance in each match has been topnotch, be it against someone like Cesaro, or a local competitor.
Black is currently playing a babyface and has an interesting rivalry with Buddy Murphy which is helping both men prove why they’re among the best in the business.
Black and Andrade are no strangers to each other, after all, The Dutch Destroyer defeated El Idolo for the NXT Championship after a superb rivalry.
Keeping in mind the matches these two men have had in the past, and how they can become the future of the business, it would be interesting to see them compete against each other for the United States Championship.
As two of the absolute best athletes in the company, they'll be able to give fans something to look out for, and an extended rivalry between these two men will help fans forget about the top champion of the brand even more.
#1 Humberto Carrillo
The man currently in a rivalry with Andrade is none other than Humberto Carrillo. He's one of the fastest rising WWE Superstars today and has gotten some great bookings lately, which has helped him become a fan favorite in no time.
Carrillo has proven why his recent push is justified and has given fans some great moments at the end of the year. At TLC 2019, Carrillo competed with Andrade and defeated him, which led to a rift between Andrade and his manager Zelina Vega.
Andrade repaid Carrillo for the loss by beating him up during the final stages of a Gauntlet Match to determine the #1 contender for Rey Mysterio’s United States Championship on the December 16 edition of RAW, ending the match without a definite conclusion.
Keeping that in mind, it looks like Carrillo is far from done with Andrade, and will come after El Idolo and his title sooner than later.
Carrillo lost an opportunity for the US Championship against AJ Styles due to a beatdown by The O.C., and then again due to Andrade, but it looks like the young Superstar will remain in the mid-card title picture for some time.
Carrillo seems like the favorite to defeat Andrade for the US Championship, and the two can do battle for it over the next several weeks.
