5 reasons why R-Truth won the United States Championship

R-Truth defeated Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown Live to become the new United States Champion. While the win seemed controversial at first, the replay clearly showed that Nakamura didn't lift his shoulders on time.

To add to that, Rusev came out and immediately challenged R-Truth for the title, seemingly turning heel again in the process. R-Truth put away Rusev in no time, and this has to go down as one of the best nights in his career, as he defeated two elite-level competitors back to back.

It seems like the title win was long overdue for the veteran, and you might be surprised to learn that this is the first time in seven years that R-Truth has even held a championship in WWE.

Now, why did R-Truth win the championship just two days after Nakamura won it back from Rusev? Here's why the shocking title change happened.

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#5 To compensate for the Royal Rumble fiasco

This one is a no-brainer. R-Truth straight up said that because of what happened at the Royal Rumble match, the McMahon's compensated him with a United States title match.

In case you're not aware, R-Truth had the guaranteed #30 spot due to winning the Mixed Match Challenge. However, when he made his entry, he was attacked by Nia Jax of all people, who subsequently took his spot and eliminated Mustafa Ali before getting eliminated herself.

The Royal Rumble match is a big one for every participating superstar, and since Truth didn't enter, the whole point of the Mixed Match Challenge seems completely lost. However, granting him a United States title match at least made it worth something, and he would end up capitalizing on the opportunity and beat the 2-time Champion Shinsuke Nakamura clean as a whistle. Who would have seen that coming?

#4 As a "thank you" for his years of service

R-Truth has been around a lot longer than most people realize. He was with the company between 1999 and 2002 and returned six years later, and has been with the company since. That means that he's been in the WWE for a whopping 14 years.

Not many superstars get to say that they've been with the company for so long, and it's clear that Truth is well-respected backstage, even among the McMahon's. After all, he does make Vince McMahon laugh more than most people can, so what's not to like?

He's been around for a very long time, has been a part of all sorts of storylines - whether it was his serious persona, ridiculous storylines, tag teams, etc. he's never complained and has always known his role well.

With respect to that, it's likely that WWE wanted to give him a small run with the title as a token of gratitude for all his years of service.

#3 Attempt to create buzz after Royal Rumble

If you've noticed based on RAW and SmackDown Live, WWE is really firing on all cylinders in an attempt to create buzz about the Royal Rumble. Firstly, they had Becky Lynch confront Ronda Rousey and make their match official.

Secondly, Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar was confirmed as well, meaning that we have our two marquee matches for WrestleMania. WWE decided that they needed to create buzz on the blue brand as well, and they did a great job of it.

R-Truth winning the United States Championship has taken a lot of fans by surprise and has got them talking. Apart from just this, a blockbuster WWE title match for the Elimination Chamber has been announced while we also know Shane McMahon & The Miz's first title challengers.

It looks like WWE is creating a lot of excitement on the product as we start shifting gears on the road to WrestleMania!

#2 No creative plans for the United States Championship

The United States Championship has been in a very weird place, going all the way back to the end of 2017. That's right. It all started from when Dolph Ziggler won the United States title and just vacated it two nights later with no explanation whatsoever.

Since then, we've seen the title change hands with Bobby Roode, Randy Orton, Jinder Mahal, Jeff Hardy, Shinsuke Nakamura, Rusev, and now R-Truth. Shinsuke Nakamura held the title for the longest period of time among the names on the list, but even so, his run was underwhelming because he hardly defended the title at all.

While Rusev won the title at the end of 2018 in a feel-good moment, his reign lasted around a month. What seems to be clear is that WWE has no definite plans for the United States title, and have no issue with it just changing hands freely. Hopefully, this changes soon.

#1 To form the Nakamura-Rusev alliance

It was just two days ago that Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev were the most bitter of rivals. Rusev was the babyface, while Nakamura was the nasty heel, who used dirty tactics to win back the United States title.

However, it seems as though the direction has completely changed. Rusev has turned heel again and he assisted Nakamura in assaulting R-Truth after he beat The Bulgarian Brute. Gallows & Anderson confronted Rusev after the beatdown, calling him a coward.

They challenged Nakamura and Rusev to a match, and they accepted. Rusev seemed cautious, telling him it'll just be the one time. However, we could be on the verge of seeing them be paired as a tag team on SmackDown Live. After all, with no plans for the two going ahead, creative probably feels that this is the best direction to go in.

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