Examining How WWE Can Maximize Rusev's United States Championship Reign

The United States Championship can be the vehicle Rusev drives up the WWE ranks.

Rusev can't fall into the same pitfalls that have hampered recent reigns with that belt, though. He must be an active, engaging and dominant champ. His time as the U.S. titleholder should be used to propel him, to amp up the heat on him as he closes in on the end of his rookie year.

The company crowned The Bulgarian Brute on Monday night in a title match exclusive to the WWE Network, a hard-hitting contest that ended with Sheamus out cold and Rusev holding a title in his paws. 

That was the right move. Rusev had cleared away enough opposition to earn this spot. His anti-America angle will benefit from wearing that strap.

That is if WWE treats this as the major star-making opportunity that it is.

Defend Often 

Sheamus and Dean Ambrose learned that being U.S. champ doesn't guarantee one the spotlight. Too often, both of those men sat idle too long.

Ambrose's reign nearly reached a full year. Count up the memorable title matches he had in that span, though, and one finds the list lacking.

He went the following pay-per-views without defending the title:

• Money in the Bank 2013 
• Battleground 2013 
• Survivor Series 2013
• TLC: Tables, Ladder & Chairs
• Royal Rumble 2014
• Elimination Chamber 2014
• WrestleMania XXX
• Extreme Rules 2014

For many of those, Ambrose was battling alongside The Shield. That group's feud took precedent over the story of his title reign. It wasn't as if he was getting the Zack Ryder treatment, but it was easy to forget he was even champion.

The belt became a decoration of sorts.

WWE can't do that with Rusev. He can't go five straight pay-per-views without a title defense or do like Sheamus and go three months without putting the belt on the line in televised action.

The Celtic Warrior did not defend the belt from the July 11 edition of Main Event to Oct. 26 at Hell in a Cell.

Rusev's gimmick lends itself to consistent trials. He is out to prove America's inferiority and Russia's dominance.

He should be taking on a succession of challengers (primarily American ones) and bat them all down.

Deliver Vile Acts

WWE can't rely too much on the anti-American vitriol that Lana spits each night. It's certainly a way to get the crowd booing, but Rusev's reign need more lasting images as well.

This is where his character can most take off. This is where he can elicit seething hate from the crowd, kayfabe long dead or not.

Jim Ross recently wrote on his blog, wondering what makes Rusev a villain, "The powerhouse rarely cheats, is a patriot to his native land, is a beast, isn't a coward, and has not lost via pin or submission. What is there among those items that I am supposed to dislike?"

The answer is in the dastardly.

WWE has had Rusev go that route in the past and should continue to do so. Patriot or not, he's a man willing to attack a 64-year-old war veteran. Him laying out Zeb Colter at SummerSlam isn't half as unsettling as seeing him kick a uniform solider in the head, though.

That was the act that most riled Big Show, that added real momentum to that feud.

This is where WWE has to revisit. This is the kind of work that top heels do.

Whether it means chasing Lilian Garcia away as she sings the national anthem or replacing the U.S. title with a custom Russian Federation version, he needs to create controversy.

Book Him as Dangerous, Unstoppable

Too often, a wrestler wins a midcard title and suddenly becomes a pushover. Non-title losses are too common, hurting the titleholder's perception, making them look unworthy of holding the belt.

Take Dolph Ziggler, for example.

His current Intercontinental Championship reign began on Sept. 22. Since then, he has already lost to Kane, Seth Rollins (twice), Cesaro, Randy Orton and Rusev.

It's as if the IC title has sapped his strength, the belt lined with kryptonite.

WWE has booked Rusev strong to date, not allowing him to lose via pinfall or submission. That needs to continue. The end of his undefeated streak is going to be a climactic moment. It should be portrayed as a monumental victory, one that includes the U.S. title as a prize.

Until then, the crowd has to be flooded with images of Rusev dominating.

Credit: WWE.com

Regardless if its scripted, enough impressive performances and one can't help but view someone differently. Brock Lesnar's recent wins over Undertaker and John Cena turned him into an immortal. WWE doesn't need to go that far with Rusev, but the goal should be to present him as a destroyer more than a coward.

He doesn't need to have Lana get him disqualified on purpose. He doesn't need count-out losses on his resume.

Make him the mountain that WWE's roster struggles to climb. After a line of men tumble try to reach that peak, the power of that eventual first loss for Rusev is multiplied. 

Now that WWE has adorned the bruiser with gold, it has a great chance to continuing his rise and composing one of the better U.S. title reigns in recent memory. It can build Rusev into a leading heel, one fallen foe at a time.

All match statistics courtesy of CageMatch.net.