10 Potential Opponents for WWE United States Champion John Cena
At WrestleMania 31, John Cena was successful in doing what no one else has been able to for the last year: hand Rusev his first defeat. Simultaneously, he won back the United States Championship for the first time in over a decade.
While it was recently confirmed that Cena and Rusev will meet in a championship rematch at Extreme Rules, Cena has wasted no time in establishing himself as a credible champion. On the March 30 edition of Raw, he hosted the inaugural U.S. Open Challenge, granting a title opportunity to anyone in the back who was up for it.
In the last two weeks, Dean Ambrose and Stardust have stepped up to the plate and pushed Cena to his absolute limit. On several occasions, they came close to capturing the gold. Despite coming up short, they looked extremely strong in defeat.
As United States champion, Cena will look to restore prestige to the title and bring it back to a level of prominence it hasn't been at in some time. Furthermore, the weekly open challenge provides Cena with a fresh batch of opponents to work with, making both the belt and himself much more interesting in the process.
There's a wide array of talent to choose from as potential challengers to the star-spangled prize, but these 10 Superstars would force Cena to prove his mettle.
Bo Dallas
1 of 10
While he may not be the most credible Superstar on this list, Bo Dallas is certainly the freshest face. Having debuted on the main roster only a year ago, there are many matches to be had with him in WWE.
With a lengthy NXT Championship reign to his credit, Dallas definitely had an impressive run down in Florida. But, since arriving on Raw, he hasn't done much of note. He embarked on an undefeated streak for a time, but after suffering his first loss at the hands of R-Truth, he floundered in the undercard before suffering an injury in early October.
Dallas made his return to the ring at WrestleMania 31 in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and confronted Sting on the next night's Raw. Although he didn't appear on WWE TV this past week, it's logical to assume that the United States Championship would be in his sights.
Granted, Dallas is hardly close to being in Cena's league, but a strong outing against The Champ could change people's perception of him. He's a good wrestler with an even better moniker; all he needs is an opportunity to showcase his skills.
What made him so successful in NXT was him thinking he was a babyface, yet being booed by the fans like a heel; you know, almost exactly like Cena. Their cheesy characters would make for an interesting clash, to say the least.
Curtis Axel
2 of 10
Much like Dallas, Curtis Axel is far from being on Cena's level, but that doesn't necessarily mean he wouldn't make for a good challenger.
For the better part of the last five years, Axel has been underutilized on the main roster as an enhancement talent. During his time as a "Paul Heyman Guy" in 2013, he graced the main event scene and scored huge wins over Triple H and Cena. But, it wasn't long after that he was back to being a jobber.
As he was never technically eliminated from the 2015 Royal Rumble match, Axel took that and ran with it, getting more over than anyone had ever expected. Even though WrestleMania 31 has come and gone, Axelmania is still running wild. What better way to reward him for his efforts than with a shot at the star-spangled prize?
Axelmania bleeds red, white and blue, so it'd only be fitting if that was the title he challenged for. His gimmick may be goofy but make no mistake about it: Axel is an extremely talented hand inside the ring and would surely give Cena a run for his money.
Cena made quick work of the former Intercontinental champion several weeks ago on Raw, but if Axel took the match a bit more seriously this time around, he could certainly pose a threat to the title.
Jack Swagger
3 of 10
No WWE Superstar has embodied the spirit of the America these last several years more than Jack Swagger. Thus, it's crazy to think that he has held the United States Championship only once during the course of his career in WWE.
Last summer, Swagger embraced the audience for the first time when he entered a feud with Rusev. Although, he was ultimately unsuccessful in beating the ruthless Russian, he earned the respect of the WWE Universe through his valiant efforts.
He was extremely over with crowds at this time, but constant losses to Rusev, Seth Rollins and Dallas caused him to lose steam. Before long, he was back to headlining WWE Superstars and making sporadic appearances on Raw, often as an enhancement talent.
As irrelevant as he may be at the moment, Swagger has proven in the past he can be a credible contender to any piece of gold if pushed properly. He has challenged for the United States, Intercontinental and World Heavyweight championships over the years and can always be counted on for a solid match.
While Swagger has never had a one-on-one rivalry with Cena, they've clashed in singles competition on multiple occasions. They've had great in-ring chemistry every time they've done battle and a meeting over the U.S. title would make for a quality contest.
Bad News Barrett
4 of 10
Bad News Barrett is another prime example of a Superstar who has been criminally misused in recent years. While he has five Intercontinental Championship reigns to his credit, hardly any of them were memorable.
At first glance, Barrett has all the makings of a star: solid in-ring ability, exceptional mic skills and international appeal. The only things that have held him back over his career have been untimely injuries, terrible gimmicks and bad booking, preventing him from ever getting beyond a certain level in WWE.
Although, he'll be contending for the Intercontinental Championship at Extreme Rules, it's unlikely he'll regain the gold. The British brawler is going to need to be built back up from scratch in order to be taken seriously again, and a match against Cena for the United States Championship could be a step in the right direction.
Barrett's history with Cena is well-documented, as it was The Champ who Barrett and the rest of The Nexus viciously attacked upon their debut in June 2010. The two traded wins throughout the remainder of the year with Cena soundly defeating the NXT alum in a Chairs match to end the feud.
Despite the bungling of the rivalry toward its end, Barrett and Cena never ceased to have a great match together. A show-stealing performance against his former foe could be exactly what Barrett needs to get his career back on track.
Damien Mizdow
5 of 10
Damien Sandow has had quite the career for himself since 2012, but he's more popular now as Damien Mizdow than he was at any other point in the last three years—that includes a brief stint as Mr. Money in the Bank. He took something that was never intended to go anywhere and made it into absolute gold.
For months, tension was teased between The Miz and his stunt double Mizdow, with the crowd often favoring Mizdow over his employer. At WrestleMania 31, he finally reached his breaking point and tossed The Miz over the top rope to eliminate him from the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
Despite coming up short against The Miz in one-on-one action on the April 6 edition of Raw, Mizdow has a bright future ahead of him, if he can keep his momentum going. Whether he can maintain his fanfare past the Mizdow persona, however, remains to be seen.
Gimmick aside, Sandow's wrestling ability is well above average, and he is capable of having a good match with just about anyone. While he hasn't been able to showcase his skills much in recent months, his match against Cena on the Oct. 28, 2013, Raw was a reminder of how talented he truly is.
Many expected his showing against Cena that night to be a turning point in his career, but alas, it did not (you can blame poor booking for that). Could a competitive rematch versus Cena with the United States Championship up for grabs do what that bout could not?
Tyson Kidd
6 of 10
Since his arrival in WWE six years ago, Tyson Kidd has been mostly marginalized in the undercard and tag team scene. Furthermore, you would have never known how great of an in-ring technician he is, had it not been for his time on NXT in 2014.
There, Kidd was given the chance to rejuvenate his career, and he flourished. While he never ultimately captured the NXT Championship, he honed his character and contested excellent matches against the likes of Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn and others.
Upon returning to the main roster late last year, Kidd formed an alliance with Cesaro, with whom he captured the WWE Tag Team Championship at February's Fastlane pay-per-view. The two have been running rampant on the tag team division in recent months, but it's clear both guys are destined for bigger and better things in singles competition.
Let's face it: Kidd simply isn't cut out to be a world champion in WWE, but that doesn't mean he can't be an exciting addition to the midcard. It also boggles my mind that he has yet to have a run with the Intercontinental Championship or the United States Championship.
While I'm not suggesting he be the one to unseat Cena as United States champion, he could certainly come close to doing so. To my knowledge, they have never crossed paths in a one-on-one match, so a bout between them could be nothing short of stellar.
Finn Balor
7 of 10
I didn't want to oversaturate the list with multiple NXT up-and-comers, so I decided to go with the likeliest candidate to be called up to the main roster next: Finn Balor.
Although, he's been on NXT TV for just short of six months, Balor made an immediate impact upon his arrival and has already captured the attention and imagination of viewers. With the star power he possesses, he'll without a doubt be main roster bound within the next few months.
How long Cena's United States Championship Open Challenge will continue on for is unknown, but if it becomes a regular on Raw, Balor would be the perfect person to accept. After Cena goes through most of the roster, building to Balor would make for a monumental moment on the flagship show.
Balor is unlike anyone WWE has seen before and thus must be treated like a big deal once he gets the call-up. His debut needs to be as grand as possible, and there's no better way for him to make a lasting impression than by taking on the face of the company.
Again, Balor wouldn't need to win in order to be solidified as a star. But, in looking strong in defeat, he could earn Cena's respect, akin to how Cena earned the respect of Kurt Angle after his debut match back in 2002.
If Balor's entrance music were to hit one of these days during a U.S. Title open, the audience in attendance would undoubtedly come unglued.
Luke Harper
8 of 10
Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan were the perfect trio known as The Wyatt Family. It was an innovative unit made up of three great characters who split up far sooner than they should have.
Harper, in particular, had a few breakout performances during his time in the group, most notably during the series of matches with The Usos. However, it wasn't until The Wyatt Family parted ways that he really began to show signs of main event potential.
Almost immediately after branching out on his own, Harper defeated Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship and was featured in the main event of Survivor Series. One month later, he and Ziggler contested one of the best ladder matches in recent WWE history, further proving his worth as a single star.
Sadly, WWE has done next to nothing with him since the start of the year. While he was involved in the Intercontinental Championship ladder match at WrestleMania 31, he was merely a background player to the rest of the combatants.
There is no reason why Harper shouldn't be in the main event of Raw each week instead of Kane or Big Show, as he has the size and skills that The Authority is looking for. Needless to say, he deserves to be pushed higher on the card, and that should start with a United States Championship match against Cena.
Harper and Cena are no strangers to each other as the two crossed paths frequently during Cena's long rivalry with The Wyatt Family in 2014. They always worked well together, and an outing over the prestigious prize would be no exception.
Cesaro
9 of 10
It's hard to label Cesaro as an "underutilized" talent, given that he's currently one-half of the WWE Tag Team champions. But, when considering his tremendous talent on the whole, he does deserve better in WWE.
Cesaro's biggest push to date came in spring 2014 when he shockingly won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 30. It appeared he was destined for superstardom from that point forward, but a botched pairing with Paul Heyman caused him to fade off into obscurity.
He has a good thing going with Kidd at the moment that has a long shelf life, but once it runs its course, Cesaro belongs at the top the card. There's many potential matchups waiting for him as a singles competitor, including one against Cena.
As someone who has petitioned for this feud to happen for some time, Cesaro and Cena are the perfect opponents. The few times they've faced each other have been excellent, so it's surprising they haven't done battle more often.
A former United States champion in his own right, Cesaro needs the right feud to reestablish himself as a main event player. Even if it was a one-off, a match against Cena in the U.S. Title Open would not only be an instant classic, but it could see Cesaro finally emerge as the star he should be.
Roman Reigns
10 of 10
After competing in the main event of WrestleMania 31, the thought of Roman Reigns challenging for a midcard title might sound far-fetched, but so was Cena as United States champion. It's a marquee match fans have never seen before, so for it transpire with the U.S. title at stake would be monumental.
Besides, one of the biggest knocks against Reigns after he won the Royal Rumble in January was that he wasn't ready for the prime time yet. He jumped from the tag team scene straight to the main event; thus, going back and spending time in the midcard would be beneficial for him and his growth as a performer.
As it currently stands, Reigns will not partake in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at Extreme Rules, and it's unknown when he'll get his next world title opportunity. In the meantime, he should set his sights on Cena and the star-spangled prize.
Reigns has always worked best when up against established stars, whether it be Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton or Brock Lesnar. Being the biggest star in the company, Cena would provide the Samoan Superstar with the biggest challenge he has faced to date and vice versa.
Better yet, with Cena holding the strap, this is a match that realistically could headline a B-show down the line, such as Battleground or Payback. Reigns might not be ready to carry the company as world champion, but capturing the U.S. title first against Cena, of all people, could be exactly what he needs to win over the audience and prove himself to the masses.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website at Next Era Wrestling and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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