Who Should Dethrone John Cena as the United States Champion?

With the news coming of John Cena planning to take some time off in the coming month came the discussion of who should dethrone him as the United States Champion. I honestly have to say that I'm sad to see him go. He surely deserves the break. He's likely deserved one for quite some time, but this has to be the worst timing for it. From a product standpoint, at least, who knows what's going on personally.

The number of different ways that WWE could go with writing Cena off of television are endless. I'm not even sure they're going to write him off of TV. I, much like everyone else, am speculating him to drop the US Title though. It needs to be under a great number of circumstances however. If the right person gets the belt, the prestige of it can continue to grow and someone could be pushed to that next level. If the wrong person gets the belt, it could flounder much like it did for years before Cena regained it.

So, who should that person be? I have a few ideas to present.

- Cesaro -

You guessed it. I'm a huge Double C fan, I have to admit, but I don't choose him as this just because I'm a fan. As I always say, if he wasn't getting great reactions, if he wasn't delivering quality matches - I wouldn't let my fandom affect my opinion on what WWE should do with him. That doesn't happen to be the case at this point, though. Cesaro is undoubtedly the most misused talent in WWE in the past decade. You've had people who had potential due to their look and ability (Drew McIntyre), you've had those who had a damn good match with a top star then went no where (Sandow), but never have you had someone produce so many awesome matches against so many top talents and get pushed & depushed as many times as Cesaro has.

With that being said, it seems like I've written something like this a thousand times yet here we are again. Cena has been a vocal supporter of Cesaro for quite some time and is arguably the reason for his most recent push. Just this summer, Cesaro had two barnburners with Cena for the US Title despite being unable to get the job done. That will be the lead in to this match between the two. Cena issues the open challenge and Cesaro answers. They talk a minute about their previous contests and the bell rings. This time, he takes Cena to the limit once again and finishes the job to become the US Champion. Make this a grueling match that leaves both men exhausted to exemplify the story being told. Cena walks away while Cesaro takes the torch for a month or so. I hope to see this, but I'm not crossing my fingers.


- Dean Ambrose -

The latest hot topic on dirt sheets is that of Dean Ambrose getting a major push in light of John Cena's absence. Does that mean he will be taking Cena's place as the US Champ or that he will be pushed into WWE Title contention? Many think the latter, but I don't think it would be considered a push because of Cena's absence if Ambrose was going to be pushed into a part of the card that Cena isn't even involved in. Considering that, I think Ambrose going become the new US Champion is likely.

Ambrose is the lunatic who loves to fight so he could continue the US Title Open Challenge and it wouldn't seem weird or taint what Cena started. It would also set up for Cena's return in December and COULD also be a catalyst for an Ambrose heel turn. Cena comes back by answering Dean's Open Challenge and mentions how Ambrose stole his thunder by taking his open challenge schtick. Cena can push Dean's buttons by asking why he had to resort to copying him if he's such an anti-thesis to what Cena stands for. This leads to the match happening and Ambrose can resort to cheap tactics to return which can be the start of the aforementioned turn.

It's purely an idea, though. Ambrose is hot as a face so a turn may not be the best option although a US Title run certainly wouldn't hurt. Not to mention, the last match Cena & Ambrose had for the championship was quite entertaining!

- Kevin Owens -

This could happen in the case that WWE still wants to unify the US & IC Titles. Even though I'm a massive fan of Big Kev, I'd be lying if I said that he had a lot of momentum right now. Thankfully he didn't sink after his feud with Cena, but he didn't certainly take a step down the card. He's great at what he does however the crowd reaction isn't as top notch as it should/could be. I think reigniting his issues with Cena and having him get the upperhand this time would take him to that next level.

Beyond that, the ultimatum of him being the person to unify the US & IC Titles will leave him as a critical part of WWE history books. It may be hard to properly build towards this program depending on how soon Cena will be taking leave, though. That's the only negative I can see when looking at this from the outside. It's definitely something to keep in mind whether it happens now or down the line. Owens undoubtedly has a moment similar to this in his future, it's just a matter of when.

- Samoa Joe -

I didn't think of the Samoan Submission Machine doing the job until I began writing this article and my mind is blown as to why I didn't. Joe made a ruckus when he debuted on NXT although his hype has since simmered down aside from winning the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Invitational Tourney with NXT Champion Finn Balor. The debut of Joe on the main roster HAS to be saved for a PPV or Network special which leads me to what I see as the perfect plan.

Hell In A Cell is only a week away and Cena doesn't have an opponent for the show. I'm thinking he's going to simply issue his open challenge and my guess is that the person who answers it is who will dethrone him. Let that person be Samoa Joe. Imagine the atmosphere. Joe debuts on WWE PPV to go one on one with John Cena in a dream match that hasn't happened in a major company EVER. It's a throwback to both men's early training days in 1999-2000 and a true clash of superstars from two totally different worlds. A dream match that is 10 years in the making.

Joe is the husky, rough badass and Cena is the strong, clean cut hero. It's a similar dynamic to the Cena/Owens matches however I think Joe & Cena could produce something different. The thought of Joe unloading with one of his strike attacks on Cena with the crowd popping like crazy almost makes me jump out of my seat. I think these two could produce a barnburner that would see Joe ultimately assault Cena to the point of gaining the victory and winning the United States Championship. I'd have them go all out, honestly. It writes Cena off for a while due to the beating he took and how exhausting the match was, plus, it goes with his "never give up" character. Samoa Joe for US Champ? It's a viable choice from my point of view.

Who do you think will dethrone John Cena and become the new United States Champion in light of his upcoming sabbatical? Tweet me your thoughts @ThePWTruth on Twitter! Thanks for reading!