WWE: How to Rehabilitate Every Championship in the Company

Credit: WWE.com

United States Championship: Stick with the Right Guy

Since the brand split, SmackDown Live’s midcard championship title has been hot-potatoed across 16 reigns, not including one vacancy. After defeating Jeff Hardy in what was literally a nothing match (low blow, kinshasa, pin) at Extreme Rules, Shinsuke Nakamura has won his first main roster title. Not only that, but he should absolutely be the man to stabilize the title for the first time since John Cena’s reign in 2015.

This title feels like nothing because it is really nothing. Recently, it’s been bounced around various veterans in an attempt to create more and more grand slam champions. Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy have both benefitted from this effort, although it’s only shoved the United States Championship more and more down the tubes.

Can we stop with this? Please? Maybe I’m just biased (Nakamura is a personal favorite) but the current smarmy, dastardly heel Nakamura character seems perfect for this title. Let him run with it for a few months. Then, he can move on once again to a WWE Championship feud, further elevating the prestige of the midcard belt as a proper stepping stone.

Whatever you do, just give someone a long reign and stop trading this once-prestigious title back and forth.