Here is a look at why Bobby Roode wasn’t the ideal superstar to win the United States title tournament on WWE SmackDown.
WWE SmackDown Live hosted the United States title tournament to determine the new US champion after Dolph Ziggler supposedly relinquished the title. Tournaments in the WWE are always exciting to say the least. You get to see a variety to mash-ups and matches you normally wouldn’t see. Take the Mixed Match challenge for example. You saw Finn Balor team up with Sasha Banks to take on Shinsuke Nakamura and Natalya.
That’s the beauty of a tournament. But more often than not, these tourneys end up without a proper end game. There really isn’t a solid reason for the wrestlers to put it all on the line in hopes of advancing through. But for the US title tournament it was different. The winner would become SmackDown‘s next Untied States Champion.
The participants throughout various rounds included the likes of Mojo Rawley and Xavier Woods. However, two notable names that were missing from the tourney are former US champion Baron Corbin; who has been missing on TV for a while now, and Rusev. Strangely, Aiden English was a part of the tournament. It seemed like creative was worried about repeating the foreign heel champion gimmick with Rusev and the US title once again.
Anyhow, the tournament concluded last week with Bobby Roode and former WWE champion Jinder Mahal competing in the finals. Roode picked up a win and his first title on the main roster. But when one looks back at the tournament, was this the most ideal outcome? Weren’t there other stars who could have done a better job of holding on to the title? Here are three alternatives to Bobby Roode winning the United States title.
WWE.com
3. Mojo Rawley
Mojo Rawley has really been one of the biggest revelations of this tournament. I wasn’t a big fan of the whole Hype Bros act and Mojo in particular. Jumping in places saying one is ‘hyped’ wasn’t really my piece of cookie. However, ever since he turned heel I must say he has been captivating to say the least. Rawley’s constant heel antics and trash talks resonate much better with the viewer now.
He is still not a great wrestler. But he is good. He is still learning and adapting to the craft. But creative must realize that they have a pretty good heel on their hands now. Rawley certainly possess the looks and the size. His constant yelling and movements add to his heel persona much better than his babyface character. Rawley’s first round match against Zack Ryder was a pretty neat.
However, his heel work shone the brightest during his match with Bobby Roode. Rawley yelling ‘did you break a rib Bobby’ after attacking him was pure gold. Mojo is for sure going places as a heel. As such, instead of seeing Roode win the title, I would have loved to see Rawley pull off the upset.
The only issue with Rawley as the Champion would be if and when Ziggler makes his inevitable return and makes his claim for the gold, it will essentially be a heel vs heel feud. After all, Ziggler is the one who abandoned the WWE universe, stating ‘you don’t deserve me’. That’s some harsh words right there. You can’t really turn your character around from there. But, if ever there is something that the WWE universe is a sucker for, it is a triumphant return.
Despite being two heels, there is a difference between them. Mojo is a generic bully heel character. Ziggler, on the other hands is the arrogant, cocky, self obnoxious and talented heel. Fans can find ample reasons to boo the former but everybody secretly admires the latter. As such, a Ziggler return in the midst of a promo by Rawley or in the middle of a beat-down by Rawley would ensure the fans get behind the Show Off. The organic reaction to Ziggler showing up at any point now would be a loud cheer.
WWE.com
2. Rusev
Rusev has been the United Stats champion in the past. In fact, he was one of the most dominant US champions in recent times. But every time, he was the foreign heel, who used the title as a means to emphasis his superiority over the people. However, gone are the days when Rusev was a foreign monster heel. The WWE universe absolutely adores him and Aiden English. A vocal portion of the crowd cheers for Rusev Day every week.
Despite being so over with the fans, Rusev and English failed to win the tag titles. Creative seems reluctant to pull the trigger on these guys. When the Tournament was announced, quite interestingly, Aiden English was a part of the bracket. Rusev, however, was inconspicuously absent.
The WWE universe wants to see the babyface version of Rusev. As such, a babyface Rusev as the United States champion would have done much better on the Blue Brand’s mid-card scene. Above everything else, it would have allowed Ziggler to return as a heel and face a fresh foe for once. After all, we have seen Ziggler vs Roode a million times by now. Ziggler vs Rusev? Yes we have seen that in the past. Remember that whole charade with Lana and Summer Rae in the mix?
But this time, things would be different. There are no more distractions. There is only Ziggler and Rusev…and Aiden English. But still, the viewer will not be distracted from the story between the ropes by way of unnecessary drama. Moreover, unlike Ziggler vs Roode where Roode was always the babyface, the heel-face dynamics would be reversed here. For the first time ever, Rusev can act as a babyface and the fans can get behind him as he tries to hold on to his precious and hard earned title, while Ziggler, the devious villain does whatever he can to reclaim what was once his.
Dolph has enough reason to try and take out Rusev too. The US title is his. But he doesn’t want to represent the title or the fans. Nor does he want the WWE universe to have the privilege of ever witnessing that title being represented by someone else they deem worthy.
WWE.com
1. Jinder Mahal
Okay so before you begin to question this choice, let me explain. Jinder Mahal is unlike any other heel you have on the roster right now. He is not very good in the ring with flashy moves. He does, however excel when it comes to slow burner matches that demonstrate a pretty good range of in-ring psychology. Mahal isn’t the best on the mic either. But he can hold his own, given the right material. But above everything else, unlike the ‘cool heels’ of this era, Mahal brings and old school heel aura that makes you want to boo the guy.
When Mahal and the Singh brothers attacked Roode after his second round victory, I had high hopes he would win the title. After all, we have seen Bobby Roode and Dolph Ziggler go at it for a quite a while. But Ziggler and Mahal? No. After Mahal’s WWE title stint, he does make up for a big name heel status. Hence, booking Mahal as the United States champion would have made it easier to bring back Ziggler as a babyface.
To make matters clearer, Mahal is exactly what Rusev used to be, minus the in-ring skill and Lana. He has constantly been portrayed as the foreign heel who demands the fans respect him as their true champion. He followed the narrative when he was the WWE champion. However, it would have suited him even better had he been the US champion. With the newly crowned champion mocking the fans, it would be easier to execute a turn for Ziggler. Perhaps Mahal can claim he is the greatest US champion of all time and even name-drop Ziggler as a wanna-be who gave up on the dream.
This could bring out an irate and obnoxious Ziggler at some point in time, who still thinks of himself as the greatest to ever lace a pair of wrestling boots. Like I said, if creative wanted to bring Ziggler back as a babyface, the easiest way to accomplish this would be to have him cross paths with Mahal. Dolph would still need to explain himself though. If he merely comes out to beat up Mahal and then pander to the audience, then all of this would have been for nothing.
One of my favorite versions of Ziggler is when he is the confident Show Off who says ‘because I am that good’. This might be an ideal direction to proceed in this case. Just like how it would have been with Mojo Rawley, fans will opt to cheer for the cocky and confident heel Ziggler. The fact that Jinder Mahal is on the other side of the ring will make the cheers that much louder.
Next: WWE SmackDown 5 Takeaways: US Championship Becomes Glorious
Once Ziggler is done with this feud, he can continue as a heel or a face depending on crowd reactions. But facing off against any of these three guys would have been a more explosive way to book his return, rather than against Bobby Roode. Who would you have picked to be the new United States champion? Are you excited that the Glorious One grabbed the title and might be on course for another feud with Dolph Ziggler? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments section.