5 forgettable United States Championship reigns in WWE
The United States Championship has been a staple of WWE television since moving from WCW to WWE in 2001 when World Wrestling Entertainment purchased the promotion.
There has long been a discussion in professional wrestling about whether the champion makes the title or the title makes the champion. The conclusion to that narrative is that some champions for any professional wrestling championship are better than others. One championship reign can be memorable, impactful and leave a lasting impression on the fans watching at home and those in attendance.
However, some championship reigns are not as successful as others. Sometimes a Superstar wins a championship, has a steady reign with the belt before losing it, but doesn't manage to make the impact that was initially desired. This can be for several reasons: the duration of the title reign, the opponents they faced, the frequency in which the title is defended and the title's overall stature in the company at that time.
Therefore, some superstars have title reigns that slip the mind when it comes to recalling past champions. Let's take a closer look at 5 WWE United States Champions that you may have forgotten about.
#5 Bobby Roode
Bobby Roode won the WWE United States Championship on the January 16, 2018 edition of Smackdown Live. Roode would defeat Jinder Mahal in a tournament final, after Dolph Ziggler had vacated the United States Championship, to win his first Championship in WWE.
Bobby Roode would hold the WWE United States Championship for 54 days. Title defences included defeating Mojo Rawley during the 2018 Royal Rumble Kick Off Show in an open challenge and also defeating Rusev on the February 6, 2018 episode of Smackdown Live.
Bobby Roode would eventually lose the United States Championship to Randy Orton at Fastlane 2018 and is yet to have a second United States Championship reign.
This United States Championship reign was largely forgettable due to the "hot potato" nature of the US Title in early 2018, as the title moved from Superstar to Superstar with several short reigns. There were only a handful Championship defences by Bobby Roode in this period.
With a 54-day Championship reign being somewhat short, Bobby Roode never fully had the opportunity to have a memorable first United States Championship reign.