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During 2015, the United States Championship underwent a resurgence in WWE, and this was all thanks to John Cena. Whilst Cena held the belt, the championship felt elevated and important, with the “John Cena US Open Challenge” becoming one of the most anticipated weekly segments on TV. The logical conclusion to his open challenge run would be him eventually putting over a new star who scored an upset win, getting the rub from one of the greatest of all time. However, this didn’t happen, with his US Title reign and open challenge gimmick ending in awful, underwhelming, and disappointing fashion.
John Cena Helped To Elevate The United States Championship
When John Cena turned his attention to the United States Championship in 2015, there were both positive and negative takes on it. On one hand, having Cena conquer the undefeated monster heel champion, Rusev, was an unpopular choice, as it derailed his momentum, with him never quite able to reach the same heights as a heel in WWE. On the other, it meant that Cena was outside the main event for the first time in a while, and it would help to bring back some meaning to a championship which had often been neglected over the years.
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Whilst Rusev had done a good job with the belt during his dominant reign, it still felt very much like a lower card title. However, when it was on Cena’s shoulder, it felt like a much bigger deal, with the experiment proving a success. During his time as champion, Cena didn’t overshadow the world champion at the time, Seth Rollins, and he kept himself in and amongst the midcard, elevating those who faced him, even in defeat, and this was all due to the US Open Challenge.
The John Cena US Open Challenge Produced Some Great Matches And Moments
Cena wanted to be a fighting champion, and to do so, he decided to host a near-weekly open challenge, defending his championship against any and all comers. For someone who was often shunned for his in-ring work, this spree of matches proved just how good Cena can be inside the ring, as he had good matches with near enough everyone he faced off with. During his time as US Champion, he successfully defended the title against Dean Ambrose, Stardust, Bad News Barrett, Kane, Rusev, Sami Zayn, Zack Ryder, Kevin Owens, Cesaro, Seth Rollins, Xavier Woods, Big E, and Dolph Ziggler.
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All these matches offered something unique, and they each got a good amount of time, with standout matches including those against Zayn, Owens, and Cesaro, which helped to get them on the map, even if their booking afterwards wasn’t always perfect. Cena would lose the title briefly to Seth Rollins, though he would win it back quite quickly, just a month later, continuing with his open challenges.
After facing an array of different superstars from up and down the card, it all felt as though it was building up to a huge moment in which Cena would drop the title to someone in the midcard who needed a boost, with a US Title reign taking them up to an even higher level, especially after defeating someone like Cena. A shock win could come at any time, and it did so at the 2015 Hell in a Cell PPV, however, the winner was incredibly underwhelming.
Alberto Del Rio Received The Rub From John Cena’s US Open Challenge
When Cena came out on the PPV, there was a feeling that he would face someone significant, due to it not being on weekly TV. When Zeb Colter emerged, there were collective groans, and it seemed as though he would be coming up against Jack Swagger. Instead, it was a returning Alberto Del Rio. This was a surprise, and it popped the crowd within the moment, but only because it was unexpected. Del Rio defeated Cena within just 7 minutes, due to Cena needing to take a break from in-ring action. Choosing Del Rio, whose first run in WWE had been severely underwhelming and lackluster, despite multiple world title reigns, felt like the wrong option.
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Del Rio began a peculiar gimmick alongside Colter, with them petitioning for the formation of “Mex-America”, and the fans were not interested. Del Rio’s reign took the belt back down to being forgotten and misused, undoing all the work Cena had done in the several months prior. Instead of giving a newer or deserving name like Owens or Cesaro a push, WWE chose a superstar who fans had never truly gotten on board with. The company panicked, not willing to take a risk, but this “safe pick” didn’t pay off, with Del Rio causing the belt’s prestige to once again diminish.
