In terms of prestige, things don't come much bigger than the United States Championship. Whilst the WWE Title definitely beats out pretty much every belt, the US strap has been around since the mid-70s.
It may not have originated in the WWE, but since Vince McMahon went power crazy and bought out a number of different promotions it has become a part of the WWE lineage.
As such, there have been some pretty big names to hold the Championship over the years. With the likes of Ric Flair having numerous reigns over the years, the title has fluctuated between irrelevance and importance so many times that we've actually lost count.
Despite that, nobody can deny that there have been some great matches that have been contested over the belt.
However, much like any other Championship, there have also been some surprise Superstars to have held onto the title too. Naturally different eras signify different styles and as such, there have been some title changes that come across as bizarre, despite the fact they may have made all the sense in the world at the time.
So with that said, let's take a look at five superstars you didn't know held the United States Championship.
#5 Goldust
Goldust may well be one of the most underrated talents in the history of the WWE, but not many people would've realised that he went by an entirely different persona before; Dustin Rhodes. The bizarre one, as we now know him, actually held the US title on two different occasions back in the mid-90s.
Both of his title wins came following the belt being vacated before hand, with his wins coming in January and August of 1993 respectively. In his second reign, however, he was defeated for the belt by Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Perhaps WWE should've shown Goldy a touch more respect and given him a run later on in his career. From something bizarre to someone a little bit frightening.
#4 Sid Vicious
In terms of power, Sid Vicious was a force to be reckoned with back in the 90s, with his WWE Championship run, in particular, being highly acclaimed amongst fans who felt he wasn't given a fair run at the top. With that said, Sid also had his fair share of critics and following his WWE tenure, he made the move over to WCW where he won the US Championship in September 1999.
The win took place at Fall Brawl and came against future World Champion Chris Benoit, however, Sid's run with the strap would last a measly 42 days, before he dropped it to the monster known as Goldberg. Whilst it may not have been the most successful run, it certainly allowed Sid to have another title reign of sorts towards the end of his career.
Up next we've got a man who was pretty much a tool for a bigger storyline.
#3 Orlando Jordan
Orlando Jordan only ever really thrived in the WWE as part of JBL's Cabinet. Whilst that isn't necessarily a bad thing, it did mean that he was restricted in certain ways, and the fact he won a Championship at all within the company is a down right miracle. What's even more surprising is the fact he held it for 173 days following the triumph.
The victory came over John Cena in March 2005, with his 'boss' John Bradshaw Layfield nailing Cena with the WWE Championship belt, which allowed Jordan to pick up the win. He went on to hold the belt until SummerSlam, at which point Chris Benoit submitted Jordan after just 25 seconds to win the title for the third time.
An interesting yet forgettable reign to say the least. Up next we have a man who is known more for his controversy than a singles run.
#2 Michael Hayes
Michael Hayes is a revolutionary man when it comes to sports entertainment, given all of his past work with The Fabulous Freebirds. However, some people may not realise that he had a one-and-done run with the United States Championship way back in the late ‘80s. In fact, the win came against the most tenured champion in the belt's illustrious history.
The victory came at WrestleWar in May 1989 against Lex Luger, however, it was not to be anywhere near as long of a reign as Mr Jordan's. In fact, Luger actually won the title back just 15 days later from Hayes on a house show, which shows that he may not have been cut out for a long run as a singles star.
Cheer up, Michael - at least you've still got a job in 2017. We finish up with someone who prefers things to be a little bit more hardcore.
#1 Raven
Raven did some truly great things throughout his career, and in truth, his potential was never fully realised within the WWE. The former ECW talent had a phenomenal mind for the industry, creating all sorts of interesting concepts and being an inspiration to a number of Superstars including CM Punk.
However, despite his lack of main event success, he did have a brief run with the US Title.
Oh, and when we say brief, we mean it. Raven defeated Diamond Dallas Page for the strap at Spring Stampede in April 1998, during a Raven's Rules match. It seemed like the company may have been gearing up to give him an extended run with the Championship, but that dream was blown out of the water less than 24 hours later when Goldberg won the belt.
Ironically, that was also in a Raven's Rules bout.
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