10 GREATEST U.S. CHAMPIONS OF ALL TIMES
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There are many ways one can judge the
greatness of a United States Champion.
Perhaps it’s as simple as comparing
them against Harley Race, the trailblazing WWE Hall of Famer who made a name
for himself as the first U.S. Champion in history. Or maybe one should consider
the case of Steve Austin, whose “Stunning” U.S. Title reigns in WCW
foreshadowed his future as a “Stone Cold” main event Superstar. Then again,
there are more modern competitors like Shelton Benjamin, Sheamus and Cesaro who
helped turn the storied title into a treasured prize in WWE.
To settle this debate once and for
all, the editors of WWE.com participated in a survey seeking consensus on the
greatest U.S. Champions ever. Read on as we reveal the results of WWE.com’s
rankings, and offer our esteemed editors’ explanations on why the 10
titleholders in this list are the best of the best in the history of the U.S.
Title.
10. MVP
Of course, the highest-paid free
agent in the history of SmackDown would end up on the list of the 10 greatest
U.S. Champions ever.
MVP wore the stars and bars around
his waist as naturally as he did the ice dangling from his neck, claiming it in
the first place by winning one of the toughest bouts around — a 2-out-of-3
Falls Match. From there, the man known as Montel Vontavious Porter established
one of the longest, and most entertaining, reigns ever as he fought to keep the
title away from his fellow WWE Tag Team Champion, Matt Hardy. Hardy would,
ultimately, get what he wanted, but MVP eventually notched a second reighn.
Dare we say “ballin’”? Of course we
do. Ballin’!
9. Greg Valentine
Whether competing in regional
territories at the first NWA Starrcade, or on The Grandest Stage of Them All,
WrestleMania, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine never changed his hard-nosed style of
wrestling.
That methodical and merciless
approach served Valentine well as he won more championships than we can list
here — none more notable than his pair of NWA United States Championships. The
son of the legendary Johnny Valentine claimed those titles the hard way,
beating the tough-as-nails Wahoo McDaniel first and then upending perhaps his
greatest rival, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, for his second.
However, Valentine’s most memorable
bout involving the championship was the one in which he lost it back to Piper
in the still-talked-about Dog Collar Match at the first Starrcade in 1983.
88. Sting
Before black and white became his
signature colors, Sting was as American as they came, and painted the red,
white and blue across his face on multiple occasions.
It’s only fitting, then, that The
Icon is remembered as one of the most celebrated United States Champions of all
time. Nearly four years after winning his first star-spangled prize by
defeating future WWE Hall of Famer “Stunning” Steve Austin, Sting recaptured
the illustrious title by besting the imposing Meng at 1995’s Great American
Bash, and would hold it for an impressive 148 days.
Whenever Sting strode to the ring
with the stars and stripes around his waist, opponents and spectators alike
knew it was “showtime.”
7. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper will always be
known as the villain of WWE’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection years. However, a
few years before Hot Rod was a WWE main eventer, he was an up-and-coming hero
in the NWA’s Mid-Atlantic territory.
At that point in his career, Piper
winning the prestigious United States Championship was his greatest victory.
The man he defeated for the title went on to become, arguably, the greatest of
all time, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair. Piper won the title twice more before leaving
the NWA for WWE, the final time in a still infamous Dog Collar Match at the
first Starrcade against Greg “The Hammer” Valentine in 1983.
6. Ricky Steamboat
Ricky Steamboat’s reputation as one
of the hardest-working Superstars of all time is well deserved and never
disputed. So it only makes sense that his efforts would reward him with
championship gold along the way.
Yet the U.S. Championship claims a
special place on Steamboat’s resume because of how it bookends his storied
career. The WWE Hall of Famer made a name for himself in sports-entertainment
by kicking off his first two reigns at the expense of his greatest rival, Ric
Flair. Then, nearly a decade after he bested Dick Slater to become a three-time
titleholder, Steamboat secured his fourth reign against an up-and-coming
competitor and future WWE Hall of Famer named Steve Austin. Shortly after that
fourth tour of duty as U.S. Champion came to a close, Steamboat retired from
the ring.
Though he lacked the bombast of Flair
and the swagger of Austin, Steamboat’s legacy is secure thanks to his many
accomplishments in the ring. That some of his finest moments came in his chase
of the U.S. Championship only helps elevate the title’s prestige.
5. Bret Hart
Pundits have described Bret Hart’s
tenure in WCW as a major disappointment. The “Hit Man” never did ascend to the
levels of success he achieved in WWE. However, often overlooked are his
impressive reigns with the United States Championship while in the land of the
“Big Boys.”
Having memorable bouts with the likes
of Diamond Dallas Page, Roddy Piper and everyone in between, Hart compiled four
reigns as the WCW U.S. Champion, injecting the pink and black attack into some
of the company’s most crucial television segments as the Monday Night War raged
on.
Hart surrendered the WCW-branded version of the
title for the final time in November 1999,
but, incredibly, The Excellence of Execution had another run with the title 11
years later in WWE. With Raw emanating from his Canadian homeland, Hart defeated the Miz winning both the final title of his storied
career and cementing himself as the greatest international talent to ever hold
America’s top crown.
4. Booker T
Booker T’s first United States
Championship reign was not only unforgettable, it proved historic.
After Bobo Brazil, Booker was only
the second African-American, and the first in 24 years, to hold the coveted
title. That honor was earned when Booker defeated Rick Steiner on March 18,
2001, at WCW’s final pay-per-view event, Greed. He would eventually capture the
title three additional times in WWE, reigning as U.S. Champion for a total of
271 days. His impressive U.S. Title achievements not only continue to endure,
they also bolstered Booker’s entire career and helped land him a place in the
hallowed WWE Hall of Fame’s class of 2013.
Now, can you dig that, suckaaaaa?!
3. Lex Luger
523 days. That’s how long Lex Luger’s
third reign as U.S. Champion lasted.
No one who came after him in WWE, WCW
or ECW has held any championship as long as Luger did during his third tenure
with the U.S. Title. It’s a number that was inconceivable in
sports-entertainment when Luger was doing it, and appears unreachable even now.
Again, that was just his third tour of duty as U.S. Champion. He actually
achieved five overall.
Just as WCW was stepping onto the
national stage, Luger became an ambassador for the star-spangled title by
virtue of his historic reign and how it catapulted him into an unlikely battle
with of WCW World Champion Ric Flair. Luger's record-setting run gave gravitas
to the title, all the while redefining how U.S. Championship success can
bolster a competitor’s legacy. Add in the various challengers crushed during
his tenure, such as Brian Pillman and Ricky Steamboat, and you’ve got The Total
Package.
2. John Cena
John Cena’s held the U.S. Title more
times than anyone since the championship was absorbed by WWE, but it’s his last
two runs with the title that have really cemented his legacy as one of the
greatest U.S. Champs ever (though beating Big Show, Booker T and Carlito for
reigns one, two and three ain’t nothin’ to sniff at).
As part of his campaign to restore
prestige to Old Glory, Cena’s “Open Challenge” policy has led to marquee
performances from rising stars like Cesaro, Neville and Sami Zayn, and weekly
career highlights from The Champ himself. Cena is still nigh-infallible with
gold around his waist, but the level of competition is world-class and
legitimately unpredictable. Suddenly, everyone wants a shot at the title and,
unlike the red-tape bound WWE World Heavyweight Championship, they can get it.
1. Ric Fla
Tell me if you’ve heard this one
before: To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man.
Ric Flair’s oft-quoted adage is the
key ingredient in any recipe for success in the squared circle. And it’s one
that the “Nature Boy” has refined since the early period of his career, a time
marked by Flair’s conquests in the U.S. Championship picture. Before Flair was
a 16-time World Champion, he was a five-time U.S. Champion. Until he attained
his quintet of U.S. Title reigns, he wasn’t “the man.”
Flair defeated a veritable “who’s
who” of opponents to secure his U.S. Championship status, from WWE Hall of
Famers Bobo Brazil, Greg Valentine and Ricky Steamboat to WCW stalwarts like
Mr. Wrestling and Konnan. This stylin', profilin', limousine riding, jet
flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin' n' dealin' son of a gun always showed the title
the respect it deserves, and, as a result, demonstrated the respect that’s due
to anyone who can clinch one of the most storied prizes in
sports-entertainment.
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