Cesaro Would Not Benefit from United States Title Win vs. Sheamus

When looking at the pronounced decline of Cesaro from WrestleMania XXX to present day, it’s easy to conclude he is currently in the midst of a slump.

After winning the inaugural Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, Cesaro seemed as close to a world championship as anybody. Currently feuding for the United States Championship, however, his stock seems to be on the downswing.

Despite how meaningless the United States Championship has become, there are reasons to be optimistic about Cesaro’s feud with Sheamus.

Cesaro has had the chance to develop a heel persona outside of the ring, which was not the case when he was a silent one-dimensional villain being outshined by Paul Heyman’s promos every week.

Monday on Raw, Cesaro obnoxiously interrupted Sheamus’ match against Seth Rollins. Cesaro donned a fashionable suit—a heel staple—before attacking Sheamus following Sheamus' tainted loss.

Cesaro's fleeting attempts to steal the United States Championship show the very self-entitlement and arrogance that separates the bad (guys) from the good.

Actions like these distinguish Cesaro as not just another Paul Heyman guy but a bona fide bad guy.

The proven track records of Sheamus and Cesaro in the ring will also help this feud. A good match at Night of Champions could do wonders for both WWE Superstars, who both seem to be fighting their way out of respective ruts.

A win, however, will do no favors for Cesaro.

If there are still plans in place for Cesaro to return to the main event, the United States Championship will serve as more of a stonewall than a stepping stone. In a perfect world for Cesaro, his feud with Sheamus is just a placeholder designed to get him from one point to the next while he waits in the wings for his next big break.

If a world championship is the goal for Cesaro, a United States Championship victory would be nothing short of a death sentence. Such a win would entrench him not only as a secondary champion but also as a midcarder.

WWE Intercontinental champion Dolph Ziggler currently finds himself in a similar position. Earlier this year, PWInsider Elite (subscription required, h/t WrestlingInc.com) reported WWE officials were no longer pushing the popular WWE Superstar due to his history of injuries.

Fans responded by heavily backing Ziggler in a manner similar to their inconvenient (for WWE) support of Daniel Bryan leading up to WrestleMania XXX.

WWE seems to have shrewdly averted any potential Ziggler-related fan hijacking by booking him to become an intercontinental champion. The former Money in the Bank winner has been comfortably saddled in the midcard for months, and fans have quietly gotten used to it. As Ziggler continues his WWE Intercontinental Championship feud with Miz, there’s no main event in sight.

Far from a symbol of the heir apparent, secondary championships in the WWE are more of a wrestling midlife crisis that WWE Superstars endure on their way back from the main event.

No reports suggest WWE has thrown in the towel on Cesaro just yet. But a win over Sheamus at Night of Champions could mean he’ll be in the midcard to stay.

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