Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: Rusev Poised to Elevate WWE United States Championship

1. Rusev the Beastly Champion

With Rusev's paws on it, the WWE United States Championship is looking more like a treasure sitting inside a dragon's cave—one that awaits a hero to try to snatch it.

The Bulgarian Brute's presence and slugfest acumen is going to make his U.S. title reign a compelling one. If matched up with the right rivals and continually presented as the fearsome force he is right now, Rusev will thrive as champion.

Credit: WWE.com

And the U.S. title will surge because of it.

The championship WWE plucked from WCW in 2001 has both an illustrious history and a lack of momentum. The company often lists the marquee stars who have held it—from Harley Race to Sting—but that was before the title's WWE days.

In the last 15 years, the championship has experienced highs and lows, sometimes feeling like a coveted prize and sometimes an inconsequential prop. It has often been neglected or made unimportant when handed to a comedy act like Santino Marella.

John Cena firmly pushed it toward the forefront during his two reigns last year. Rusev will continue that trend. 

It helps that Rusev seems genuinely obsessed over keeping the gold in his possession. His pride for it doesn't feel manufactured. Even when he proclaimed he would remain champion for seven years after his victory over Kalisto at Extreme Rules, his words rang true:

WWE has done well to keep the belt in the audience's mind, as Rusev appears on Raw frequently and has defended the title three times already.

The smashmouth action we have seen between him and Titus O'Neil has given the U.S. title some juice, too.

And while WWE wanted to give O'Neil some momentum on Raw this past Monday, it didn't have Rusev get pinned in non-title action, which has too often been the case with past champs. The company instead chose to give O'Neil a cheap count-out victory.

That was a deft way to not hurt Rusev. As ProWrestling.net's Jason Powell wrote, "Rusev continues to be protected as he is being slowly rebuilt ideally to monster heel status."

The more that happens, the more thrilling the chase for the title will become.

Rusev needs to fend off O'Neil before too long. Have him slug it out with the babyface and move on to new foes. Ideally, Rusev will collide with challengers who can handle themselves in a hoss fight—Big E or Luke Harper, for example.

That's where Rusev is at his best—a rhino smashing into another rhino, the impact echoing throughout the arena. That needs to be the soundtrack of The Bulgarian Brute's reign as he makes the U.S. title scene must-watch.

2. Dean Ambrose Joins Exclusive Club

His WWE title win at Money in the Bank put The Lunatic Fringe in select company.

Per WWE.com, Ambrose is one of only 10 men to hold the Intercontinental Championship, United States Championship and WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The rest of the list includes four Hall of Famers:

• Big Show
• Bret Hart
• Daniel Bryan
• Eddie Guerrero
• John "Bradshaw" Layfield
• Kurt Angle
• Ric Flair
• Stone Cold Steve Austin
• The Miz

The name that sticks out in a "one of these things is not like the other" way is The Miz. He's considered by many to be a flop as world champ.

Hopefully, Ambrose's reign has him remembered more like Hart and Austin than The Miz.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Clash of the Champions

As Sean Rueter of Cageside Seats pointed out, it looks as if WWE is bringing back Clash of the Champions.

The event was once one of WCW's premier shows. And with WWE set to split Raw and SmackDown into two separate brands next month, it will have to add events to its calendar, reportedly including a reworked version of Clash.

At Clash of the Champions VII in 1989, Terry Funk and Ricky Steamboat put on an excellent match despite it ending in a disqualification. The aftermath, though, was nearly as entertaining, with both Funk and Lex Luger taking a bite out of Steamboat:

A new version of Clash of the Champions will have quite the legacy to live up to. Memorable bouts and legends comprise much of the event's history.

4. The Cruiserweight Classic Should Inspire Imitators 

The Cruiserweight Classic is underway, and the showcase of smaller, high-flying wrestlers is generating ample excitement before any of the taped matches air on the WWE Network next month.

The concept itself is a compelling one. A mix of little-known talent and veterans from the past will meet in a single-elimination tournament that will be a celebration of a fun brand of wrestling.

WWE has to repeat this idea in the coming years. More Cruiserweight Classics are a must, but the company should also put together similar events highlighting both tag team and women's wrestling.

These tournaments are easy ways to increase interest in the WWE Network while also scouting talent. And they promise to be an eye-catching change of pace, just like the cruiserweight event will be.

Let the Cruiserweight Classic be the start of a trend.

5. It's Vader (vs. Ospreay) Time!

A social media spat has officially morphed into a wrestling match. Revolution Pro Wrestling announced Will Ospreay and Vader will meet in the ring on Aug. 12:

This clash comes after Vader criticized Ospreay's match against Ricochet during New Japan Pro Wrestling's Best of the Juniors tournament. The two have bickered since. And fans have taken notice—the verbal back-and-forth becoming a hot topic.

Revolution Pro Wrestling made the move that had to be made.

It doesn't matter that, at 61, Vader is not nearly the performer he once was. This bout will have a stockpile of buzz. It will be a spectacle and a unique event, just as wrestling should be.

6. Not Exactly on Fire

WWE has booked Becky Lynch to be mediocre.

Fans have seen her drop match after match of late. As seen on her CageMatch.net profile, Lynch is just 1-3 against Dana Brooke and 1-3 in her last four matches on Raw.

It's too early to start declaring her "buried," though. The Lass Kicker isn't losing at a Zack Ryder level yet. 

Lynch is 3-2 in her last five matches on SmackDown. She currently sits at a .444 winning percentage on the year. Those aren't jobber numbers, but they aren't befitting a potential star like herself, either. Lynch should be one of the women's division's top babyfaces—a perennial title contender.

Her crowd connection says as much.

Luckily, the perfect chance to reclaim momentum is right in front of her. As her issues with Natalya escalate, it's clear a collision between those two is on the way. Gaining a number of big wins against a former champion like Natalya is just what Lynch needs to start catching fire again.

7. A Major League Clothesline

Pittsburgh Pirates fans saw one of the strangest matches of all time: Scott Steiner vs. a Polish dumpling.

The former WWE and WCW powerhouse showed up to Pittsburgh's PNC Park on Legends of Wrestling night. During the park's famous race between mascot pierogies, Steiner hit his famous clothesline on one of the dumpling racers: 

Add that to the list of surreal images from the wrestling world in 2016.  

8. The Best from The Best in the World

CM Punk's UFC debut is now official; the former WWE champ is set to fight Mickey Gall in September. 

He will move from a world where he thrived to one rife with unknowns. Before Punk begins his second career in earnest, fans are sure to reflect on what he accomplished in the squared circle.

For those unfamiliar with his WWE run or anyone just pining to see Punk wrestle again, check out the following clips and highlights of some of his best bouts ever:

• CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy: SummerSlam 2009 (TLC)
• CM Punk vs. John Cena: Money in the Bank 2011
• CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan: Over the Limit 2012
• CM Punk vs. John Cena: Feb. 25, 2013
• CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar: SummerSlam 2013 (No Disqualification)

Watching Punk tell a story in the ring, be it when he was consumed by revenge against Lesnar or looking to earn a spot at WrestleMania against Cena, it's clear he was born to be a pro wrestler. Chances are he will look far more out of place in the Octagon.

9. Adding Superfly, Inviting Scorn

The "there is no such thing as bad publicity" axiom is wrong. WrestleCon organizers are set to find that out.

The annual wrestling convention recently added Jimmy Snuka to its list of official guests for next year. This announcement comes after the WWE Hall of Famer was arrested and charged with murder last year. It comes just weeks after a judge declared him mentally unfit to stand trial, per the Associated Press.

Going this route is dumbfounding. Sean Ross Sapp of Wrestling Inc. summed up many fans' reactions to the news:

Instead of adding buzz to WrestleCon about a famous wrestler joining the party, this decision will only bring criticism. The move reeks of tastelessness.

Sure, WrestleCon gets mentioned several times over in Melanie Dostis' article for the New York Daily News, for example, but so does Nancy Argentino's murder. That can't be the kind of discussion organizers want people to be having about the convention.

WrestleCon shouldn't have touched Snuka at this point.

10. The Appeal of Owens vs. Zayn

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn glared at each other on Monday's Raw with the same enthralling, believable intensity their feud has long been built on.

The rivalry is a prime example of the power of borrowing from real life. Owens and Zayn's friendship has been folded into the on-screen narrative. When they talk about traveling together or wrestling in Canada together, it's all based on the truth.

So when they now yell about how much they hate each other, it's easier to buy into the scripted animosity. 

Indy wrestler Gran Akuma tweeted about how realism boosts Zayn vs. Owens:

WWE would be wise to listen to Akuma. This story has been a winner from day one—an ideal blend of fact and fiction.