WWE United States Championship Should Be Central to Cena vs. Rusev Feud

The ongoing feud between John Cena and the dominant WWE United States Champion Rusev is one of the more interesting rivalries being built on the road to WWE Fastlane.

Rusev has been booked incredibly strongly since his debut on the main roster, burning through opponents as decorated as Sheamus, Mark Henry and the Big Show. Few have even come close to overcoming the Bulgarian Brute.

However, Rusev may well have met his match in the shape of John Cena.

The two have been on a collision course since they stood nose to nose on the Royal Rumble fallout show. Although, during Rusev's rise to the top, Cena has always felt like an inevitable final obstacle for WWE's latest monster heel.

The pair's battle at the Fastlane event has been set up in an intriguing fashion, leaning on the perception of Cena as something of an old man whose time has passed.

Something of an afterthought in the rivalry has been Rusev's U.S. title. 

In fact, since Rusev won the title from Sheamus in November, it hasn't felt as important as it should have been. It's mostly been a trinket for Lana to carry, rather than a part of Rusev's character.

In terms of the Cena feud, this is a missed opportunity.

WWE.com

The United States championship was the first title Cena won in WWE, beating Big Show at WrestleMania XX in 2004. It was the first step on his rise to the exalted position he currently occupies in the company pecking order.

Given Cena's history with the red, white and blue belt, it would be perfectly logical for Cena's animosity towards Rusev to be centered on his lack of respect for the title.

It would fit Cena's character perfectly for him to claim that the WWE Universe deserves a United States champion who respects and represents every facet of the title. As far as Cena is concerned, Rusev is completely the wrong person to wear the gold.

This would provide added impetus to the storyline as it moves into a near-guaranteed spot on the card at WrestleMania 31. Rusev is likely to retain his belt at Fastlane, but WrestleMania may well find him taking his first clean loss to Cena. 

WWE.com

As it stands, little reason has been given for Cena's sudden desire to challenge for a midcard title for the first time in almost ten years. As a result, it feels like an unnecessary facet of the rivalry.

By refusing to acknowledge this aspect of the story, WWE is spurning an opportunity to give relevance and prestige to a title that is worth almost nothing in the current WWE landscape.

All it would take is a little bit of a twist to the current promo work, which could turn the feud into a fight for an iconic strap on the grandest stage of them all.