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The current US Champion is none other than Rusev. The Bulgarian Brute had defeated Shinsuke Nakamura on the 25th December 2018, Christmas edition of Smackdown. There's no doubt that it was a well-deserved title win for Rusev after he had managed to get himself over with the WWE Universe despite his booking not being the best.
Rusev is currently embroiled in a rivalry with Nakamura as the former US Champion had attacked him on the 1st January 2019 episode of Smackdown to signify the fact that the rivalry was still continuing. It makes perfect sense for Nakamura to go after the champion due to his rematch clause, but it seems highly unlikely that he will regain the title.
But when the time comes, Rusev will indeed have to drop the title so that he can move onto bigger and better things.
Here is a list of 5 superstars who could take the US Championship away from Rusev.
#5 Eric Young
On June 19th, 2018, we saw the debut of Eric Young alongside his faction in Sanity, minus Nikki Cross, as they made their first appearance on Smackdown Live by brutally attacking The Usos. It was the perfect way for the stable to debut in such a devastating faction, and it seemed as if there were big things coming for Young as well as Sanity.
However, the following week on Smackdown Live- we saw Young answer Jeff Hardy's US Championship Open Challenge which ended in a DQ after The Usos had interfered. This then led to Sanity losing to The Usos and Jeff Hardy in a very confusing decision, as the WWE didn't seem to continue Sanity's momentum from their debut.
And ever since then, the entire Sanity stable as a whole have been floundering. At Extreme Rules 2018, we saw Sanity defeat The New Day in a Tables match - but that result didn't lead anywhere.
Young would be a great option to take the title away from Rusev as it would give him the eminence that he desperately needs. On NXT, Sanity used to cause havoc on the roster- but on Smackdown, you wouldn't even be able to tell that Sanity is even there. Young's mystique along with the rest of the stable members has been damaged heavily.
A rivalry with Rusev would be fantastic because you could have Sanity attempt to target Lana as well. Despite the fact that Nikki Cross has yet to debut, she could easily play mind games with Rusev by going for Lana to boost this potential storyline. A US title win for Young would do wonders for the credibility of the stable as a whole.
#4 Aiden English
There isn't anybody on the Smackdown Live roster that has more history with Rusev than Aiden English himself. The duo was part of Rusev Day, as English had a huge part to play in Rusev getting over despite the fact that they were heels. The WWE Universe loved them, and they wouldn't stop cheering and chanting for Rusev Day - even hijacking a few matches.
Really, they should've had reigns with the Smackdown Tag Team Championship, but it simply wasn't meant to be. And on the September 18th episode of Smackdown, we saw English turn heel after viciously attacking Rusev and stating that Lana was having an affair with himself. However, it was later revealed the following week that English was the one who had made a move on Lana but she rejected him.
Their feud came to a simple end when Rusev defeated English in a normal Singles match on the October 23rd, 2018 episode of Smackdown. This was very disappointing as the feud was evidently underwhelming. The truth is, they should've never been split up as English has fallen off the pedestal which is a massive shame due to the fact that he is very talented.
However, there wouldn't be a better opportunity for English to reinvent himself than to target Rusev again. He could show jealousy about the fact that Rusev managed to gain a title after they went their separate ways. And a championship win for English would do wonders for his career, as WWE could make a bigger deal out of this potential rivalry as they should've done before.
#3 Randy Orton
The Viper is another superstar that Rusev has plenty of history with. Prior to Wrestlemania 34, we saw Randy Orton involved in a rivalry with Rusev, Bobby Roode and Jinder Mahal as the four superstars faced off at Wrestlemania 34 with the US Championship on the line- in a match where Mahal gained the win.
Orton and Rusev have also had previous matches before, such as Summerslam 2017 when Orton defeated Rusev in 10 seconds. During the build-up for the next PPV, we then saw Rusev also defeat Orton in 10 seconds, exactly the same as their Summerslam result to make things even. But then at Hell in a Cell 2017, Orton defeated Rusev once again in a normal singles match to end the feud. However, Orton was a babyface during this feud- whereas Rusev was a heel.
Now that the roles are reversed, the possibilities of reviving this rivalry could be interesting. Orton is now playing a victim hunting character, and Rusev would make the perfect prey for The Apex Predator. Orton could attempt to target Rusev with the opinion that he has always been weak, and Rusev has lost most of his matches against Orton.
Another factor could be the fact that the fans turned on Orton, but yet they still cheered Rusev even though he didn't care about the WWE Universe before turning face. Orton is definitely at his best on the mic when he's performing as a heel, and Rusev has seemed very comfortable with promos recently so this rivalry could potentially be a very good one as Orton seems like a very good fit to become the next US Champion having held the title once already.
#2 Andrade Cien Almas
On the 15th May 2018 episode of Smackdown Live, we witnessed the debut of Andrade Almas as he easily defeated a local talent for a debut win. We then saw Almas have a rivalry with Sin Cara, which culminated at Extreme Rules 2018 as he defeated Sin Cara in a match.
It seemed clear that Almas and his valet in Zelina Vega were destined for big things, but it seems as if their potential is being wasted as Almas has been used to make bigger superstars look good. Of course, he has indeed put on great matches with the likes of AJ Styles & Daniel Bryan -- but there is so much more that can be done for El Idolo.
Almas has briefly feuded with Rusev before, as Almas and Vega had defeated Rusev & Lana in a Mixed Tag Team Match at Summerslam 2018. This could be the perfect reason for this feud to begin as Vega could claim that Almas has already defeated Rusev in the past and they can show their disgust for Rusev being put into the US Championship picture instead of Almas.
There is no doubt that Almas is one of the most talented wrestlers in the WWE, as he was putting on fantastic matches after another over on NXT where he was the NXT Champion. He proved that he could have a great run at the top, which is why Almas would be a great choice to take US Championship away from Rusev so that he can progress in his career.
#1 Samoa Joe
Last but definitely not least, we have The Samoan Submission Machine in Samoa Joe at #1 on the list. Joe arrived on Smackdown Live as part of the Superstar Shakeup, but he has yet to make his mark on the roster despite having a great feud with AJ Styles for the WWE Championship- in a rivalry that he lost.
Joe has also proven that he can go face to face with Brock Lesnar as he gave Lesnar quite a fight at The Great Balls of Fire 2017 event. Lesnar successfully defended the WWE Universal Championship against Joe. The main event scene on Smackdown Live is filled up with the likes of AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan, therefore Joe could benefit from competing for the US Champion.
A rivalry against Rusev would be something that we haven't seen before, and it would be great considering the fact that the two men have similar physiques and they are both very hard-hitting. It would pave the way for brutal matches between the two as it would be a fresh match-up.
Putting the US Championship on Joe would help his career, and it would establish The Samoan Submission Machine as a serious threat on the main roster. Joe desperately needs something to do in order to boost his reputation, which is why a rivalry and a championship win against Rusev could be best for business.
