5 wrestlers who can win Dolph Ziggler's possibly vacated U.S. Title

Dolph Ziggler shocked the WWE Universe on SmackDown Live when he seemingly vacated the United States Title. While there is always the possibility of it just being a way for The Showoff to make a statement to the fans, there is also the possibility that the blue brand now needs to crown a new United States Champion in Ziggler's absence.

With that being said, the United States Championship belt will now be without a new home. Here are five superstars who should win the newly vacated belt . Some of these picks will probably make more sense than others, but I will do my best to explain why each of these superstars deserve a chance to hold the prestigious belt.

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#5 Jinder Mahal

The Modern Day Maharaja

Jinder Mahal's WWE title run might finally be over after losing to AJ Styles in Manchester before Survivor Series and then losing his rematch at Clash of Champions a month later, but that doesn't mean WWE can't still use Mahal in an effective way. In fact, Mahal being the next United States Champion might be the logical next step for the Modern Day Maharaja.

While fans will probably lose their minds if Mahal wins the U.S. Championship, especially if WWE uses him and the Singh Brothers in the same way they did in his WWE title program, it can be a very effective way for the WWE to build a young babyface and finally have him beat Mahal for the strap.

It would basically work in the same way that Rusev's United States title run did, except that Rusev lost it to an already established star. SmackDown Live has quite a long list of babyfaces, one of whom would be more then happy to be the one to finally take the strap away from Mahal.

#4 John Cena

John Cena elevated the prestige of the US Title with his last reign

There is no doubt that John Cena's U.S. Open Challenge was one of the most popular segments in all of WWE when he held the title back in 2015. While some fans might roll their eyes at the thought of the Leader of Cenation holding the belt again, it would be another great way to create a passing-of-the-torch moment.

Not only that, having Cena hold the U.S. Open Challenge on SmackDown Live would be a great way to increase TV ratings on the blue brand and give fans a reason to tune in every week to see who his opponent will be. In the end though, hopefully, his run doesn't last as long as his last one did, especially since the focus should be on building younger talent.

#3 Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens

These two superstars are talented enough to hold the U.S. Title

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens teaming up together on SmackDown Live to become the ultimate anti-authority figure has been very entertaining, but it hasn't resulted in much success. Sure, Zayn and Owens were able to keep their jobs at Clash of Champions, but they only did so by a surprise roll up and a fast count by Daniel Bryan.

But with the storyline seemingly just being a way to set up Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 34, WWE should really consider giving either of them a run with the title belt. Of course WWE probably doesn't want them holding the WWE Title right now, but giving them a trial run with the U.S. Title could be a great start.

In the end, WWE will achieve two ends by putting the belt on either Owens or Zayn. One, it makes their anti-authority storyline a little more interesting by giving both sides some incentive and two, it will create an OMG moment when WWE eventually decides to put the title on a fresh new face.

#2 Shinsuke Nakamura

The Artist known as Shinsuke Nakamura

Speaking of giving someone a shot with the belt to see how it goes, that is exactly what WWE needs to do with Shinsuke Nakamura. While some might opine that he should be competing for the WWE title right now, Nakamura is yet to find his mojo on the main roster.

Of course none of that has to do with his in ring ability and the electric charisma he emanates, but it does have to do with the fact that he has some trouble in the promo-cutting department. Unfortunately for Nakamura, that is going to hurt him when it comes to being booked as a top star and maybe hinder his run in the WWE.

With all that in mind, a trial run with the United States title might be the best way to go here. It will be a way to gauge how serious the fans are about getting behind Nakamura.

#1 Bobby Roode

Is it time for the U.S. Title to become GLORIOUS?

In what may be considered as a pivotal moment, especially after his lacklustre feud with Dolph Ziggler to start his run on the main roster, Roode was red hot at Clash of Champions. In fact, it was to the point where the crowd was chanting "Roode" and "Glorious" repeatedly.

Of course, a lot of that was due to the amazing intensity displayed by The Glorious One throughout the match, but a part it also had something to do with his time and championship reign in NXT. A similar feat of getting him over on the main roster can be accomplished with a U.S. Title reign.