At WrestleMania 33, Chris Jericho will defend his United States Championship against his former friend turned foe, Kevin Owens, in what should be an exciting affair. It will mark the sixth time in the illustrious history of the Show of Shows that the star-spangled prize has been put up for grabs on the grand stage.
Despite having been around since 2003, the US title isn't defended at WrestleMania as often as it should be. In fact, there was a long stretch of time from 2008 to 2014 where the strap wasn't on the line in a match at 'Mania, and the Champion was involved in another meaningless match instead.
Nevertheless, the five United States Championship matches that have taken place at 'Mania thus far each have had something special to offer, and thus this list will attempt to rank them from worst to best.
#5 John Cena vs. Big Show (WrestleMania 20)
John Cena winning the United States Championship at WrestleMania 20 might be the most memorable moment involving the title at the spring spectacle. Not only was it his very first singles title in WWE, the sight of him hoisting Big Show up on his shoulders for the Attitude Adjustment is simply unforgettable.
Aside from that, though, the match was hardly anything special. Cena and Show have never had the greatest in-ring chemistry, and even their first ever outing against each other was mediocre at best.
The title change did kick off the event on a high note, but the match itself wasn't exactly excellent and left a lot to be desired.
#4 Chris Benoit vs. JBL (WrestleMania 22)
Chris Benoit doesn't tend to get the credit he deserves for being as decorated as he was as United States champion. He spent more time with that title than anyone else from 2003 to 2007, and he actually entered WrestleMania on two separate occasions with the title in tow.
The second instance came in 2006 when he and JBL squared off for the star-spangled prize at WrestleMania 22. Fans were hoping for a hard-fought, high-intensity brawl between the two, but the bout fell short of being just that.
It was a decent match from them, but it didn't come close to being as good as other matches that night such as Edge vs. Mick Foley or Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton. JBL winning the gold was an interesting twist, but he did next to nothing as Champion over the next month.
#3 Kalisto vs. Ryback (WrestleMania 32)
Shockingly, the only United States Championship match to take place at WrestleMania and not make the main card places third on this list. Kalisto vs. Ryback was originally slated to occur at WrestleMania 32, but it was bumped to the Kickoff show at the last minute.
While their rematch at Payback the following month was much better, this was still an enjoyable affair with both men putting forth solid performances. Granted, barely anyone was in the building to witness it, but those who did were treated to a nice little match.
Kalisto eventually became a lost cause as champion, but at this point, WWE was attempting to solidify him as a singles star. Thus, a win over Ryback seemingly accomplished that (it didn't in the long-run), and the matchup didn't overstay its welcome, either.
#2 Chris Benoit vs. MVP (WrestleMania 23)
After falling short of beating JBL at WrestleMania 22, Chris Benoit had his chance to avenge the loss the next year when he entered WrestleMania as Champion again, this time for a match against MVP.
Mere months into his SmackDown stint as the blue brand's highest paid Superstar, MVP looked to knock off the seasoned Benoit on the grandest stage of them all. Despite being a rookie at that point, he more than held his own and had a strong showing versus the former World Champion.
WrestleMania 23 is typically remembered for its two terrific world title matches, but Benoit and MVP might have had the best bout on the undercard. MVP was ultimately unsuccessful in usurping Benoit as champion, but he looked like a star in defeat.
#1 Rusev vs. John Cena (WrestleMania 31)
The greatest United States Championship match at WrestleMania (to date, anyway) occurred at WrestleMania 31 when John Cena challenged Rusev for the gold, one month removed from Cena's shortcoming versus Rusev at Fastlane.
Of the many matches they had in 2015, their best bout was arguably their outing at Fastlane, but they still put forth an exceptional effort in their 'Mania match. Leading up to the anticipated event, Rusev was undefeated in singles competition, so he pushed Cena to his absolute limit throughout the bout and was on the verge of victory multiple times.
In the end, it was miscommunication between Rusev and Lana that cost Rusev the strap, leading to Cena emerging with the US title for the first time in over ten years. It was a triumphant return to 'Mania for the title as Cena went on to restore prestige to the coveted prize in the months that followed.
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