'%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)
The United States Championship has been a staple of WWE television since moving from WCW to WWE in 2001 when World Wrestling Entertainment purchased the promotion.
There has long been a discussion in professional wrestling about whether the champion makes the title or the title makes the champion. The conclusion to that narrative is that some champions for any professional wrestling championship are better than others. One championship reign can be memorable, impactful and leave a lasting impression on the fans watching at home and those in attendance.
However, some championship reigns are not as successful as others. Sometimes a Superstar wins a championship, has a steady reign with the belt before losing it, but doesn't manage to make the impact that was initially desired. This can be for several reasons: the duration of the title reign, the opponents they faced, the frequency in which the title is defended and the title's overall stature in the company at that time.
Therefore, some superstars have title reigns that slip the mind when it comes to recalling past champions. Let's take a closer look at 5 WWE United States Champions that you may have forgotten about.
#5 Bobby Roode
Bobby Roode won the WWE United States Championship on the January 16, 2018 edition of Smackdown Live. Roode would defeat Jinder Mahal in a tournament final, after Dolph Ziggler had vacated the United States Championship, to win his first Championship in WWE.
Bobby Roode would hold the WWE United States Championship for 54 days. Title defences included defeating Mojo Rawley during the 2018 Royal Rumble Kick Off Show in an open challenge and also defeating Rusev on the February 6, 2018 episode of Smackdown Live.
Bobby Roode would eventually lose the United States Championship to Randy Orton at Fastlane 2018 and is yet to have a second United States Championship reign.
This United States Championship reign was largely forgettable due to the "hot potato" nature of the US Title in early 2018, as the title moved from Superstar to Superstar with several short reigns. There were only a handful Championship defences by Bobby Roode in this period.
With a 54-day Championship reign being somewhat short, Bobby Roode never fully had the opportunity to have a memorable first United States Championship reign.
#4 Kalisto
Kalisto shocked the WWE Universe when he defeated Alberto Del Rio on the January 11, 2016 episode of Monday Night Raw to capture the WWE United States Championship, his first main roster championship and also his first singles championship in WWE.
However, the title reign would be short-lived. Kalisto would lose the US Championship back to Alberto Del Rio on the following episode of Smackdown on January 14, 2016. This meant that Kalisto's first reign lasted only 3 days.
But, Kalisto would regain the United States Championship from Alberto Del Rio, at the 2016 Royal Rumble pay per view, becoming a 2-time United States Champion in the process.
Kalisto would defend the United States Championship on several occasions, defeating Neville, Alberto Del Rio and Ryback before eventually losing the Championship to Rusev at Extreme Rules on May 22, 2016. This would mean that Kalisto's second reign with the US Championship would last 119 days.
However, due to WWE not having a brand extension in effect at the time, the US Championship was largely overlooked and forgotten about on WWE programming. Therefore, many champions during this period of time are often forgotten about when recalling past United States Champions.
#3 Bret "Hitman" Hart
After Bret Hart returned to WWE in 2010 and completed his feud with Mr. McMahon, many fans wondered what was next for the WWE Hall of Famer in WWE.
The Hitman would accompany The Hart Dynasty (David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd and Natalya) during their feud with WWE Tag Team Champions Sho-Miz (The Miz and The Big Show).
This led to a scenario in which if The Miz lost a match on Monday Night Raw, he guaranteed a WWE United States Championship match to a Hart Family member. Once The Miz lost, he decided that he would defend the WWE United States Championship against The Hitman.
With major assistance from The Hart Dynasty, Bret Hart would defeat The Miz to capture the United States Championship for the 5th time in his career on the May 17, 2010 episode of Raw in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
7 days later, Bret Hart would be named as the new General Manager of Monday Night Raw on the May 24, 2010 episode. One of The Hitman's first actions as GM of Raw was to vacate the United States Championship, therefore ending his US Championship reign after 7 days.
Therefore, with no defences and such a short title reign, his 5th reign as United States Champion, his only United States Championship run in WWE, is often forgotten about.
#2 Randy Orton
Randy Orton won his first, and only, WWE United States Championship at Fastlane in 2018. By defeating Bobby Roode at the event, The Viper became the 18th Grand Slam Champion in WWE history.
However, Randy Orton's first WWE United States Championship reign would be short-lived. Orton lost the United States Championship to Jinder Mahal at WrestleMania 34 in a Fatal 4-Way match. Therefore, The Apex Predator's first and only United States Championship reign only lasted 28 days.
With Jinder Mahal's victory and subsequent defeat to Jeff Hardy 8 days later on Raw, the United States Championship had changed hands 4 times in 4 months on WWE television.
Due to the nature of the WWE United States Championship having multiple different champions in such a short period of time, with every champion having short title reigns, as well as switching brands from Smackdown to Raw during this time, many of title reigns are often overlooked and forgotten.
Therefore, many members of the WWE Universe often forget that Randy Orton even held the WWE United States Championship in the first place.
#1 Edge
In 2001, the WCW United States Championship was introduced to WWE television as a part of the WCW/ECW Invasion of WWE storyline. Despite still being referred to as the 'WCW United States Championship', the title was now an active WWE Championship.
On the November 12, 2001 episode of Monday Night Raw, Edge defeated Kurt Angle to capture his first United States Championship.
Heading into Survivor Series 2001, the ongoing WWE vs The Alliance (WCW and ECW) storyline was scheduled to culminate at WWE's traditional fall classic pay per view. Part of this culmination of the storyline meant unifying many of the WWE and WCW championships. This included the WCW United States Championship and the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Therefore at Survivor Series 2001, WCW United States Champion Edge, would face off against WWE Intercontinental Champion Test, to unify both championships. Edge would be successful in defeating Test and leaving Survivor Series with both title belts.
After successfully unifying both titles, Edge would now only be known as the WWE Intercontinental Champion, retiring the WCW United States Championship. This ended Edge's United States Championship at only 6 days.
Due to such a short title reign, one defence of the championship and the title's subsequent retirement, many fans often forget that The Rated-R Superstar has a United States Championship reign to his name.
