At the Hell in A Cell pay-per-view this Sunday (Monday morning GST), John Cena will put his US Title on the line for what is widely reported as being the last time ahead of a break away from the ring.
The WWE has already announced that Cena will take his open challenge to the PPV, setting up a potentially historic moment for the company and the title.
Following the bout, Cena is expected to take leave of WWE duties until around Christmas, setting up the chance for the title to change hands at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California.
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It will bring to an end one of the greatest reigns in the belt’s history, one in which Cena has breathed new life into the championship.
Fairly plodding along until Cena took ownership of the title for the fourth time at WrestleMania, the US title had lacked renown and was devoid of interest among the WWE Universe.
Thanks to his rivalries, in particular, with Rusev and Kevin Owens, Cena cemented both his reputation as a 12-time World Heavyweight champion and the resulting matches have left the division in rude health.
The weekly open challenges, giving the likes of Adrian Neville, Cesaro and Stardust a chance to take home the gold, also brought tantalising title matches to the WWE Universe’s TV screens every week.
And while this marks the end of an era for the US title, it offers the opportunity for WWE to maintain its momentum by giving some of its most talented members of the roster the time to shine as a champion and imprint their own identity on the belt.
Here, Sport360 looks at five potential challengers we’d like to see win the title.
5) Dolph Ziggler
A few months ago, Ziggler would have been higher up the list but his recent soap opera feud with Rusev means his credibility and potential as champ is diminished for now.
He still deserves a good title run and would prove to be a great champ but the WWE’s recent plot lines for Ziggler have somewhat hindered him.
4) Samoa Joe
Since his arrival in NXT, Samoa Joe has thus far stayed away from the main shows, bar a dark match on Smackdown en route to winning the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament.
A TNA legend, Joe has the mic skills, wrestling ability and shock value to provide another shot in the arm for the US title.
3) Adrian Neville
‘The man gravity forgot’ has set the bar high since stepping up into the main shows and his high-flying, high-octane style has endeared himself to the Universe enough to make him a viable candidate.
Neville would make a great champ in terms of style and continuing Cena’s trend of exciting matches but his mic work still leaves a little to be desired.
2) Sami Zayn
Zayn shares so much in common with Neville but is yet to make as much of a step up to the main shows and take centre stage.
He is more than ready to do so and his candidature would be a real fillip for fans in the Middle East.
1) Cesaro
The big man has already played his part in Cena’s US Title run, serving up one of the matches of the year in the now infamous open challenges.
Like Zayn, Cesaro is ready-made to take the title – the only setback for him, Ziggler and Neville is that they will feature in the HIC pre-show.
