[WNS Column] The Hydden View: Make the United States Championship New Again

I am going to give you a list of names, take a look at the prestige on this list. Harley race, Terry Funk, BoBo Brazil, Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat,  Mr. Wrestling, Jummy Snuka, Greg Valentine, Roddy Piper, Wahoo McDaniel,  Sgt. Slaughter,  Magnum T.A, Nikita Koloff, Tully Blanchard, Lex Lugar, Dusty Rhodes, Sting, Rick Rude, Dustin Rhodes,  Steve Austin, Kensuke Sasaki, Eddie Guerrero, Curt Hennig.  I could add more names but you get the hint, thats a pretty impressive list.

Now heres another list to look at, just read it. Carlito, Orlando Jordan, Bobby Lashley, M.V.P, Finlay, Kofi Kingston, The Miz, R-Truth, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Zack Ryder, Jack Swagger, Santino Marella, not quite the same caliber list is it. But, to be fare, some of these wrestlers have time to still create quite the legacy.

What do these two lists have in common other than not much, each wrestler on both list has held the United States Championship. From 1975 up to 1995 there were 29 different title holders, with 55 different tittle reigns. From 1995 until May, 2014 there were 49 different holders, and with 82 different title reigns. We here many wrestling fans talk about how the intercontinental Chapionship has lost prestige, well I ask you what about the United states Champioship? A better question is how can we fix that, what changes can we make?

Well heres a new list, Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, Kalsisto, Finn Balor (Prince Devitt), Hideo Itami (Kenta), Tyler Breeze, TysonKidd, Seth Rollins, Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, Justin Gabriel, and more could be added. What’s this list you ask? These are the wrestlers I think could bring this prestige back, a new division if you will, a new division battling for an old title, it’s so crazy it might work.

Think of two of the most exciting divisions to ever be created, they are the Cruiserweight Division, and the X-Division. Mix the two and what do you get? You get the wrestlers I just named. Most of the wrestlers I named are currently on NXT, or have wrestled there. Some have been floundering in the mid card for a few years. I look at the list and I see the potential for an amazing division, a division that can make the United States title relevant again. HHH had created something special in NXT, many of the wrestlers being the same size, and style wrestlers. Many fans ask how he is going translate this to the main WWE product. Well I will never claim to be as smart as anyone in WWE, but I think this idea could work; he has built a stable that can bring that prestige’s title back to where it once was. At one time the U.S title was given to those that were considered to be next in line for the World Championship. Let’s be honest did you ever think Zack Ryder, or Santino Marella were going to be world champion? No, neither did I.  I don’t know if this would work, but putting the title on Sheamus every time it’s vacant isn’t working either.