5 United States Championship defenses Ricochet needs to have

At WWE Stomping Grounds, Ricochet challenged Samoa Joe for the United States Championship, and in a back and forth war, The One and Only captured his first WWE main roster title. Throughout the night he bumped and sold like crazy for Joe, but in the end, it was Ricochet's high-flying antics that helped him pick up the 1-2-3 over the dominant Champion.

Given how great Joe has been over the past few years, it was a bit of a surprise to see The Future of Flight come out on top in their first encounter, but given how hot the crowd was for Ricochet, it was definitely the right call. He may not bring back the U.S Title Open Challenge, but with so much talent on RAW right now, there's plenty of challengers we'd love to see, but the following are the 5 that we NEED to see in the very near future.

#5 Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn

Despite having little in the way of a great character, Ricochet manages to get the WWE Universe behind him in a great manner, and there's few in WWE right now that do the opposite better than Sami Zayn. Since returning, Zayn has gone after the WWE Universe time and time again, garnering plenty of heat, and it's about time that he looked to earn his first main roster title.

While his partnership with Kevin Owens has been fun since they came together on SmackDown Live a year ago, Zayn is much better as a solo star, and a big rivalry with Ricochet would elevate them both. Since joining WWE many years ago, Zayn has always been an elite performer inside the squared circle, and going up against a fresh opponent like Ricochet is the perfect way to remind people of that, while also getting the great heel heat he has been over the past few months.

#4 Cedric Alexander

Cedric Alexander

Cedric Alexander's WWE career started off perfectly in the Cruiserweight Classic, and although he's certainly got some weaknesses, he's shown us time and time again just how good he is. He carried the 205 Live brand for quite some time, having great matches with the likes of Murphy, Ali, Gulak and so many more, and given Ricochet's similar style, these two could have an absolute classic.

Alexander hasn't been featured too prominently on RAW since being promoted from 205 Live, and while he lacks the charisma and character needed to be a main event star, he's a fantastic in-ring performer. We don't know how the company feels about Alexander, but he's a great wrestler, and if a face vs. face battle against Ricochet were to be built correctly to for a big time PPV match, it would make both of them feel like the big time stars that they can be.

#3 Cesaro

Cesaro

For years now, Cesaro has been one of the best workers on the WWE roster, and he's been the source of many dream matches for the WWE Universe, and this is one that needs to happen. Unfortunately, WWE haven't got behind him the way he deserves, but time and time again, The Swiss Superman proves that he has 'It', and a match with The One and Only would be yet another opportunity to do so.

While it's unlikely to take place on a PPV show, as WWE haven't shown the desire to give Cesaro a big time push, a simple 15 minute RAW match between these two would have Match of the Year potential. Cesaro has become known for great RAW matches over the past few years, and given the chemistry that these two have shown before, this is one that WWE should look to get too as soon as they possibly can.

#2 Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe

This one is quite obvious, as WWE love to run rematches (and usually too many of them), but given how good their first encounter was, this would be a lot of fun to see again. Hopefully they don't overdo this rivalry, because Joe should be in the main event scene, but if they can have another bout in the next few weeks to solidify Ricochet, it would be another fantastic bout.

Joe is the perfect foil for any high-flier these days, as he can work a versatile style, and his character fits perfectly, so if the next one can be even more intense, we're all for it. Knowing WWE and their booking processes, this one will take place on RAW over the next few weeks, but if they take their time and build this rivalry, a blow off match at the next PPV could again steal the show.

#1 AJ Styles

AJ Styles

For most of today's high-fliers, AJ Styles was a big inspiration, as his work in TNA arguably led to the indie boom we see today, so this is certainly a big time dream match for both men. Styles hasn't been featured too much as of late due to injury, and there's absolutely no better way for him to return then to prove he's still got it against one of today's best young stars.

While WWE likes to overbook a lot of things, this is one that couldn't be more simple: Ricochet goes up against one of his heroes who wants to prove he can still go at an elite level with today's young stars. We may criticise WWE a lot for the way they book things, but they aren't as bad as that, and they know this is one we all want to see, so expect it soon, potentially at the Biggest Party of the Summer.