Dean Ambrose Must Be Inserted into United States Championship Picture

Dean Ambrose is lost.

Though he main evented WWE's last two pay-per-views opposite Seth Rollins, that seems like so long ago. Based on his current booking, it might be a lifetime before he fully recovers.

After feuding with Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Ambrose has returned to running in place in the midcard.

At the moment, he is arguably in a worse position than ever before. He has no feud and as of this writing, Ambrose is not booked for WWE Battleground. Even worse, WWE still insists on booking him as Roman Reigns' wingman.

The ghosts of Shield's past continue to haunt Ambrose.

If Ambrose continues to compete in the midcard, the budding United States Championship division will be the quickest fix to his current woes. In Ambrose, the United States Championship would have another credible suitor.

Coming off multiple world championship matches, Ambrose's presence would help make the title more important. Entering this division will not be seen as a demotion since WWE's top star is holding the title, and Ambrose fits the mold of its current stable of contenders.

Rusev, Cesaro and Kevin Owens currently have a strong case to be next in line for a United States Championship opportunity. If WWE continues to focus on a small pool of challengers, its secondary championship will grow in stature.

As I've mentioned on the PodNasty Wrestling Podcast, Cena's weekly open challenges, while fun, did nothing for the United States title.

For weeks, fans were treated to one-off matches against random, mostly up-and-coming WWE and NXT Superstars with no follow-up.

On the May 11 episode of Raw, Neville came within inches of defeating Cena for the title before Owens interrupted the match. There were no complaints from Neville, not even a polite demand for a rematch. He simply moved on, making the title look weak and undesirable.

But in recent weeks, WWE is beginning to establish an actual division with a sense of urgency. Two weeks ago on Raw, Cesaro found himself in the exact same position as Neville during an entertaining match against Cena. Instead of moving on, however, he requested—and received—a rematch.

The addition of Ambrose would add a fourth contender to a crop of WWE's most talented midcarders. The various match combinations among Ambrose, Cesaro, Rusev, Cena and Owens will create great wrestling matches while making the United States Championship mean more than just Cena's weekly vanity project.

Now, Cena's open challenge could have a spinoff of great matches between his biggest threats.

The United States Championship division is quickly becoming the most exciting division in the WWE. Ambrose is being wasted every second he is left out.

 Alfred Konuwa is a featured columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @ThisIsNasty and subscribe to his weekly wrestling podcast.