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The WWE United States Championship is one of the most prestigious titles currently in the company. Legends, icons, and WWE Hall of Famers have all held the United States title during their careers.
Seen as a mid-card title, many high-profile WWE Superstars have utilized a United States Championship run to elevate themselves into WWE's main event scene. Other superstars have used a US title reign to reinvigerate their WWE careers after feeling stale or spinning their wheels on the roster.
Exclusive to Monday Night RAW, the WWE United States Championship is currently held by Riddle. The Original Bro has been the champion since Elimination Chamber, where he defeated Bobby Lashley and John Morrison in a triple threat match,
Who else on the RAW roster could potentially become the WWE United States Champion in the near future? Let's take a closer look at five stars who could win the title in 2021.
#5 Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Angel Garza
Angel Garza's WWE career has certainly seen its fair share of ups and downs so far. The former NXT Cruiserweight Champion made his debut on Monday Night RAW in early 2020 as the newest client of Zelina Vega.
After feuding with his cousin Humberto Carrillo, Garza was quickly placed into a faction with Vega's other clients Andrade and later Austin Theory. However, the faction eventually split with Theory being sent back to WWE NXT and Andrade and Vega being released by WWE.
Since then, Angel Garza hasn't been doing much on the red brand. Garza had a brief 24/7 Championship reign late last year, but he has mostly appeared on Main Event.
Many within the WWE Universe see WrestleMania as a big "reset" for WWE creative and storylines, and there is no question about the charisma and talent that Angel Garza possesses.
A United States Championship reign could be exactly what Garza needs to once again find momentum and make his way back up the card on WWE television.
#4 Former WWE NXT Champion Keith Lee
The WWE Universe was ecstatic when Keith Lee was called up from WWE NXT to the main roster after SummerSlam in 2020.
Keith Lee was one of the most promising names to come out of the black and gold brand in recent history. In fact, Lee was the first superstar in WWE history to hold the NXT Championship and NXT North American Championship at the same time.
Dream matches against the likes of Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, and more were often discussed prior to Lee making his main roster debut.
Once Keith Lee made his main roster debut, a plethora of changes were made though. Lee was forced to change his entrance music, his ring gear, and even the way he wrestled. The rationale was that supposedly what Lee was doing in NXT wouldn't translate to the "broader audience" of Monday Night RAW.
Because of these changes, the Keith Lee identity that the WWE Universe fell in love with on NXT had vanished. The Limitless One has seemingly been limited on the main roster.
Keith Lee is currently on the sidelines and not medically cleared due to an undisclosed issue. We all hope Lee will be cleared to return to action soon.
It had been rumored that Keith Lee was scheduled to win the United States Championship in the triple threat match at Elimination Chamber. Alledgely due to Lee's absence, Riddle won the championship instead.
Hopefully once Keith Lee returns to RAW, creative will pick up plans where they left off and Lee can capture the United States title.
#3 Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal
Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal has been living through an injury nightmare for the past 12 months. The Modern Day Maharaja suffered a major knee injury in June 2019 and was initially expected to be sidelined for six to 12 months.
After a long period of rehabilitation, Jinder Mahal returned to WWE in-ring action on Monday Night RAW in April of 2020. However, just one month later, WWE announced that Mahal was forced to once again undergo surgery to fix complications associated with his previous knee injury. This latest setback caused him to be out of action for the remainder of 2020.
Jinder Mahal made his in-ring return earlier this year at the WWE Superstar Spectacle event.
During the show's main event, Mahal reunited with The Bollywood Boyz to take on WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and Indus Sher. Unfortunately for Mahal, his former 3MB teammate got the better of him, picking up victory for his team.
Mahal hasn't been seen since his match at WWE Superstar Spectacle. However, it is likely that he will return to WWE television after WrestleMania 37.
A former WWE United States Champion in his own right, another run could be just what Jinder Mahal needs to put this injury nightmare finally behind him.
#2 Former WWE 24/7 Champion Elias
WWE Monday Night RAW has been an interesting place for Elias in recent months. Since being drafted to the red brand last month, Elias has turned from a babyface to a heel, released an album, and partnered up with Jaxson Ryker on WWE television.
It certainly feels as if WWE is unsure which version of Elias is the best. The Drifter has been both a heel and a babyface on several different occasions on WWE television in recent years. These frequent turns have caused fans to lose some of their emotional investment in Elias' character.
However, you can't question the charisma and ability that Elias has on the microphone. Elias is one of the better promos on Monday Night RAW and always generates a good reaction from the live crowd in attendance. Perhaps part of the issue is that without a live crowd in attendance to interact with Elias, the character has fallen slightly flat.
Nevertheless, live fans are set to return to WWE programming for the first time in over 12 months at WrestleMania 37. Perhaps this is the perfect incentive for Elias to win the WWE United States Championship, build momentum, and once again step closer into the main event spotlight.
#1 Former WWE NXT North American Champion Damian Priest
WWE officials obviously see a lot of potential in Damian Priest. Since being called up from WWE NXT and making his main roster debut at the 2021 Royal Rumble, Priest has been paired with rap sensation Bad Bunny on WWE television.
This has been hugely beneficial for the former NXT North American Champion as it gives him a vast amount of mainstream exposure due to being so closely associated with a global rap star.
Furthermore, Damian Priest has looked increasingly impressive during all of his Monday Night RAW appearances so far. Since his spectacular entrance, Priest has racked up impressive victories over the likes of The Miz, Jaxson Ryker, Elias, and Angel Garza.
The Archer of Infamy is currently scheduled to be in Bad Bunny's corner at WrestleMania 37 during the rap star's match against The Miz. While some may find it disappointing that Priest isn't competing at WrestleMania 37, it could indicate bigger plans for the former NXT star after the showcase of the immortals.
Perhaps the positive momentum of his association with Bad Bunny could lead to Damian Priest becoming the United States Champion after WrestleMania 37.
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