5 WWE Superstars with the most United States Championship reigns

The United States Championship has been won and defended in many different promotions since its introduction on January 1, 1975. Initially known as the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, the belt made its way to WCW and eventually to WWE.

The US championship first appeared (with the WWE name) on July 27, 2003, and has been a part of the promotion ever since.

This listicle will focus on the Superstars who won the United States Championship in WWE, and so reigns during the championship’s appearances on WCW and the NWA do not count here.

In the case of a tie in the total number of reigns, the Superstar with the higher number of total days reigned with the championship will assume the higher position. The total number of days will be counted according to WWE’s record, which sometimes differs slightly from the actual days count.

With that being said, let us take a look at the Superstars that have made this list.

---

#5. AJ Styles (3 United States Championship reigns, 225 days total)

The Phenomenal One won his first United States Championship on July 7, 2017, defeating Kevin Owens at a Madison Square Garden WWE Live Event. This win would send social media into a frenzy, with fans congratulating Styles and some also criticizing WWE for not letting the title change hands on live television.

AJ lost the championship 16 days later at Battleground to Kevin Owens, who lost the championship again to Styles two days later in a triple threat match that also featured Chris Jericho. This happened on the July 25 edition of SmackDown.

AJ Styles’ second reign lasted for 75 days as he lost the championship to Baron Corbin in a triple threat match at that year’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.

The third (and longest) reign occurred roughly two years later, as AJ Styles saw off the champion Ricochet at the 2019 edition of the Extreme Rules pay-per-view. He would then hold the championship for 134 days, before eventually losing it to Rey Mysterio on the November 25, 2019 episode of RAW.

#4. Rusev (3 United States Championship reigns, 303 days total)

The Bulgarian Brute faced the United States Champion Sheamus in a WWE Network exclusive match for the United States Championship on November 3, 2014. The then-undefeated Rusev made Sheamus pass out to the Accolade, winning his first United States title in the process.

He held the championship for 145 days, before losing it to John Cena at WrestleMania 31, in a match where Rusev infamously made his entrance in a tank. It was Rusev’s first main roster loss and gave birth to Cena’s US Championship Open Challenge.

His next reign came after he defeated Kalisto for the championship at Extreme Rules in 2016. He reigned as champion for 126 days until he faced defeat at the hands of Roman Reigns at Clash of Champions 2016.

He defeated Shinsuke Nakamura for the title on the December 18, 2018 episode of SmackDown, holding the championship for 32 days.

---

#3. Chris Benoit (3 United States Championship reigns, 322 days total)

The Rabid Wolverine has actually won the United States Championship five times, with two reigns occurring during his time in WCW.

His first WWE reign was a win over Orlando Jordan at 2005’s SummerSlam. He held the championship for 61 days before losing it to Booker T on the October 18, 2005 episode of SmackDown.

Benoit defeated Booker on February 19, 2006, winning the championship for the second time under WWE. JBL beat him at WrestleMania 22, 42 days later.

He won back the title after beating Mr. Kennedy on the October 13, 2006 episode of SmackDown. This would be his third and last reign, which lasted 219 days.

#2. Sheamus (3 United States Championship reigns, 360 days total)

Shortly after winning The King of the Ring tournament in 2010, King Sheamus suffered a poor streak of form, losing in matches to John Morrison as well as being attacked by a returning Triple H.

He then challenged United States Champion Daniel Bryan to a match. The stakes were high for this one, as he would leave WWE if he failed to capture the championship.

The King’s luck saw a turnaround as he defeated Bryan, winning his first United States Championship. Sheamus held the championship for 47 days before losing it to Kofi Kingston at Extreme Rules.

He regained the championship on May 5, 2014, winning a 20-Man Battle Royal after eliminating the former champion, Dean Ambrose.

182 days later, he passed out to Rusev’s Accolade on a WWE Network exclusive match that occurred on November 3, 2014.

The Celtic Warrior won the United States Championship for a third time on Night 2 of WrestleMania 37 after defeating Riddle.

He eventually lost the belt to the current champion, Damien Priest, after a 131-day reign.

---

#1. John Cena (5 United States Championship reigns, 405 days total)

The third man to win the championship under WWE, Cena won his first United States Championship after defeating The Big Show at WrestleMania XX.

The Doctor of Thuganomics would be stripped of the belt after attacking General Manager Kurt Angle on the July 6, 2004 episode of SmackDown, ending his reign at 114 days.

Cena won the championship back from Booker T at No Mercy in 2004.

He held the championship for 4 days before losing it to Carlito, whose bodyguard also stabbed Cena at a nightclub later. This would allow him to take time off television to film The Marine.

Upon his return roughly a month later, Cena won the championship back from Carlito and held it for 105 days before losing it to Orlando Jordan on the March 1, 2005 episode of SmackDown.

Big Match John won the championship again years later after defeating Rusev at WrestleMania 31. He held the championship for 147 days, defending it in a series of open challenges known as the US Championship Open Challenge.

Seth Rollins defeated Cena in a winner-takes-all match for both the United States Championship and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Cena defeated Rollins to regain the US title at Night of Champions 2015, holding it for 35 days before losing it to Alberto Del Rio at Hell in a Cell.