Dean Ambrose and the US Title

thebostoncrab · 23-04-2014 10:58am #1

In 5 days time, Ambrose will become the longest reigning US Champion since the WWE brought in the belt.

If he makes it to October he will become the longest reigning champion in history.

What is wrong with that sentence?

Ambrose more than deserves the belt, there is no denying that, but the sheer lack of activity with the belt has made the reign and the belt an utter joke. I understand that the belts are viewed by the company as props, but even if you take that stance then why give someone a prop if it's going to be wasted and only used to hold up Ambrose's trousers?

So what do you do to save this title reign and make it worth while, it is it already gone on for too long?

Personally the only way I think this could work is if they keep going as they are and bring about the Shield split at Summerslam. Have Ambrose as the heel highlight how long his reign has been, only for it to be challenged by a face and point out that Ambrose only has the belt because he hid behind his former team mates. Dean is forced to make title defences, and somehow keeps winning them. He defends the title on both Raw and Smackdown each week to prove he is able to stand on his own two feet, and keeps winning. When it comes to October, on the Raw closest to the title reign date he looses the belt to a debuting Sami Zayn and goes crazy when he just comes short of being the longest reigning champion ever. He becomes even more unhinged and thus an even more dangerous character.

So, what would you book in order to save this reign, or is it worth saving, or do you disagree completely and think the reign has been fine?

Moneymaker · 23-04-2014 11:15am

He hasn't even come out with the US title lately.

I think they're phasing it out tbh. There's no real reason to have 2 mid card belts anymore.

Why they couldn't just merge the IC/US titles is beyond me but there you go.

riffmongous · 23-04-2014 11:29am

I think it's too late now, there has been a focus on the midcard in the last few weeks and it seems to be going fine without needing another belt in there. Without a proper Smackdown show it doesnt have any place in the WWE. I'd like to see IC champ Wade Barrett unify it in some sort of rigged match as a HHH organised punishment for the Shield and then we can forget about it.

krudler · 23-04-2014 12:26pm

Aren't titles supposed to be defended every 30 days? or is that one of those it's a rule when we need it things.

Lord TSC · 23-04-2014 12:37pm

krudler wrote: »

Aren't titles supposed to be defended every 30 days? or is that one of those it's a rule when we need it things.

Quite easy to just say it was defended on a house show.

The rule is only ever used for narrative when it suits. It's not that wrestling is really governed by such rules.

Lithium93_ · 23-04-2014 12:37pm

The United States Championship will be retired with Dean Ambrose as the longest reigning U.S Champion

beakerjoe · 23-04-2014 12:37pm

As much as the title means nothing now, it can easily mean something if given to someone new. Have it used in the Evolution/Authority Vs The Shield storyline and have Hunter some how screw/stack the odds against Ambrose, or even have Hunter pit all 3 members of The Shield against eachother for teh title in order to create tension.

The title isnt in a good place now but in a month it can easily change depending on whether WWE actually care about it/remember it.

krudler · 23-04-2014 12:59pm

It's a pity the midcard titles have lost all meaning, used to be the IC was the workhorse title, and a run with it usually meant someone was being built for the main event. Now it just seems to be passed around and nobody really cares about it.

Ridley · 24-04-2014 11:15am

thebostoncrab wrote: »

Personally the only way I think this could work is if they keep going as they are and bring about the Shield split at Summerslam. Have Ambrose as the heel highlight how long his reign has been, only for it to be challenged by a face and point out that Ambrose only has the belt because he hid behind his former team mates. Dean is forced to make title defences, and somehow keeps winning them. He defends the title on both Raw and Smackdown each week to prove he is able to stand on his own two feet, and keeps winning. When it comes to October, on the Raw closest to the title reign date he looses the belt to a debuting Sami Zayn and goes crazy when he just comes short of being the longest reigning champion ever. He becomes even more unhinged and thus an even more dangerous character.

So, what would you book in order to save this reign, or is it worth saving, or do you disagree completely and think the reign has been fine?

The simple solution would be to just have Triple H tell Ambrose that he's defending the belt until he loses it (though I'd have one match a week whether it's on Raw, Main Event or whatever).

Perhaps the way to do it is announce that the US/IC titles will be merged at an event, let's say Summerslam, but Reigns wins the IC championship in the meantime so as the date gets closer the Shield's friction starts back up again.

Regardless, I think the mid-card belts should be unified and consistently defended. While I'd like to see Barrett as IC champ, the baaad neeews is that WWE seems to think having the title is enough to carry a character so they stop getting material. And for me, Barrett's previous reigns were prime example of that.

CSF · 24-04-2014 12:42pm

Just have Evolution interfere in a match against someone more appropriate to have it (Rusev maybe) and let Ambrose carry on with being one of the top guys long-term

CSF · 24-04-2014 12:46pm

The Shield should not be splitting in the short-term future either. They work great as a unit and Reigns is nowhere near ready to go it alone (his promos sound like he is reading from an autocue), I honestly don't get the benefit from it, you get one good feud afterwards and then you've lost probably your best asset in terms of the show (not merch sales etc.)

2ndcoming · 24-04-2014 2:13pm

Never really felt for for the US belt, I think it would help restore the rep of the IC belt if it was retired altogether.

It's probably to do with it being one of the WCW belts and me thinking of WCW as the second division growing up, that said though I feel the opposite about the Big Gold Belt over the WWE belt.

If I had my way the only belts would be the WWE World Heavyweight Champion carrying the Big Gold, the IC belt of the current retro design and the tag belts being any design really other than the current one.

Might just be being oldskool with the preference for the older belt designs, but regardless of the straps returning to 3 championships being available can only help strengthen the importance of them.

Mr.Nice Guy · 24-04-2014 3:02pm

It's a farcical situation. You could defend it when The Shield were working for The Authority along the lines of management protecting Ambrose. But the fact that The Shield are against The Authority, and the fact that they are trying to supposedly put them in their place, means that it's beyond logic that they wouldn't go immediately after the one guy in the group who is a champion.

Either none of the booking team have picked up on this, or they have picked up on it but decided to just ignore it. I'm not sure which scenario is more comical.

They could still salvage the situation. Have a confrontation and Ambrose makes some comment about Hunter or even Stephanie. Hunter smiles and talks about how he protected The Shield for several months, especially Ambrose and his title, but not any more. Book him in a match with Jack Swagger and have Evolution interfere. Ambrose loses the belt and The Shield have a further beef with HHH while Swagger can then do something significant with the title and his 'Real American' shtick with Zeb.

It would annoy me if they tried to make Ambrose the longest reigning champion and made a big issue of it; he has hardly defended it and it would seem like such a cheap accolade.

JP Liz V1 · 24-04-2014 8:43pm

With only one world title now in WWE, I expected more title defences for the US and IC titles

Personally I would have Bray Wyatt take it from Ambrose

J. Marston · 24-04-2014 8:55pm

I say get rid of it and bring back the old IC title. It's only nostalgia speaking but I have great memories of that belt with the likes of Angle, Jericho, Benoit and Eddie feuding for it.

jaykhunter · 24-04-2014 8:58pm

J. Marston wrote: »

I say get rid of it and bring back the old IC title. It's only nostalgia speaking but I have great memories of that belt with the likes of Angle, Jericho, Benoit and Eddie feuding for it.

You'd have to kill MITB and WHC for the mid-card belt(s) to mean something. WWE can only focus on like 3 things at any one time! It'd be cool to see it mean something again, before WCW closed.

gnfnrhead · 27-04-2014 2:12am

Not sure where to put this, but (I'm 99% sure) Jericho only needs the US title in order to have won every WWE title possible. I'm also pretty sure that would make him the only person to win every WWE title possible. If they can get Jericho back, have him beat Ambrose for the belt and they could have a great feud with Jericho playing the heel.

For what it's worth, Jericho has won the Undisputed, WWE, World, IC, World Tag, WWE Tag, Intercontinental, European and Hardcore titles. A few are missing one other title, but they are all titles that no longer exist. For example, Kane never won the European title.

Ape Lincoln · 27-04-2014 2:21am

^ Edge comes to mind straight away, didn't he win the same titles once you discount the Undisputed title (2001-2002) being anything other than the WWF/WWE title? I think he had the WCW US title.

Fwiw, Edge won MITB and the Rumble and KotR.

gnfnrhead · 27-04-2014 2:31am

Ape Lincoln wrote: »

^ Edge comes to mind straight away, didn't he win the same titles once you discount the Undisputed title (2001-2002) being anything other than the WWF/WWE title? I think he had the WCW US title.

Fwiw, Edge won MITB and the Rumble and KotR.

Dont think Edge ever won the EU or HC titles. Christian did, but not Edge.

Ape Lincoln · 27-04-2014 2:44am

Edge never had the hardcore? Jeez, thought everyone had that.

Christian had the WWF Light Heavyweight as well as World Heavyweight....

gnfnrhead · 27-04-2014 2:53am

Ape Lincoln wrote: »

Edge never had the hardcore? Jeez, thought everyone had that.

Christian had the WWF Light Heavyweight as well as World Heavyweight....

Edge was probably injured. He did that a lot back then :pac:

Christian never held the WWE title. Hence why I'm pretty sure it's only Jericho who has held every title bar one, and it's one that he could win at any time if he were back for any length of time.

jaykhunter · 27-04-2014 12:01pm

Anyone have a list of Ambrose's US title defences or where I could find it?

Ape Lincoln · 27-04-2014 12:22pm

jaykhunter wrote: »

Anyone have a list of Ambrose's US title defences or where I could find it?

http://www.profightdb.com/wrestlers/dean-ambrose-3069.html?prom_id=2&res=2000

thebostoncrab · 27-04-2014 12:42pm

12 title matches and a 4 month gap with no defences , Jeeeeeeeeesus.....

jaykhunter · 27-04-2014 1:24pm

Ape Lincoln wrote: »

http://www.profightdb.com/wrestlers/dean-ambrose-3069.html?prom_id=2&res=2000

Cheers - Ah, FFS though, why are it's dates wrong! Extreme Rules 18th May - that's a Saturday!

Ape Lincoln · 27-04-2014 1:30pm

You might have better luck on http://www.cagematch.net ?

I remember when he won the US title, Reigns and Rollins won the tag straps amd they tweeted out a picture of them with the belts. I thought they were going to go for a 'we have the belts ergo we have the power' kinda thing.

Dean Ambrose and the US Title

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