Contenders to win the US Championship from John Cena at Hell in a Cell

Cesaro’s much neede push?Rumours have been going about as to how John Cena is taking time off WWE immediately after the Hell in a Cell PPV.Cena is not advertised for any WWE events post the PPV until December 26 when the WWE returns to Madison Square Garden. It seems that Cena had asked for a temporary lay off several months in advance.Cena’s hiatus brings into question the status of the United States Championship. Ever since winning the title at Wrestlemania, Cena has raised the status of the championship with a series of US title open challenges that have spawned great wrestling matches. Cena is likely to drop the title at Hell in a Cell, but the question remains – to whom?This list takes a look at the most likely competitors to take Cena’s title

#5 Cesaro

Cesaro is a former United States Champion

It has been a bit of a mystery as to why the WWE doesn’t use Cesaro more often.

He is a great worker and his matches are always exciting to watch. Cesaro gathered a lot of steam during his US title match with Cena and his subsequent clashes with Rusev and Kevin Owens, but he has been left in the wilderness yet again.

The WWE Universe would be genuinely happy to see Cesaro finally get his due by winning a championship again and a victory over Cena would at least elevate him to the same level as Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose.

While he might not be the best on the microphone, he isn’t exactly as hopeless as Psycho Sid either. A title at this stage of his career would give him a much-needed confidence boost and we might see the birth of the next main eventer. Leave him as he is and it doesn’t seem to be long before he follows other talented wrestlers like Carlito and John Morrison out of the WWE.

#4 Rusev

Rusev lost the United States title to Cena at Wrestlemania

It is unlikely that WWE would go back to the man, who Cena beat at Wrestlemania to claim the United States Championship in the first place.

However, the Creative’s affinity towards the long drawn Lana – Summer Rae angle might just work in favour of Rusev. The Bulgarian Brute recently told Summer that he would marry her only when he gets his hand on championship gold and with the other two singles titles in the hands of heels, the US title might be the only viable option for Rusev.

Given the fact that the WWE writers prefer to bring in the terrible personal drama into story lines, it is high time that the WWE Universe has seen another so called wedding on Raw. Rusev might just beat Cena somehow to get the gold which would enable Lana to crash his proposed wedding with Summer soon after.

I know this seems a bit far fetched, but with the WWE’s obsession on cashing in on the popular Lana and extending the Rusev – Summer storyline, this one just might happen. It would be better for the health of the business if it didn’t, though.

#3 Sheamus

Sheamus is the current holder of the Money in the Bank briefcase

The Celtic Warrior winning the Championship makes a lot of sense. Sheamus is the holder of the Money in the Bank briefcase and is likely to be the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

There is an urgent need to elevate him from his current status of mid card placeholder and a victory over Cena would solidify his status as a true contender for the major prize in the WWE.

The United States title could elevate his standing with the WWE Universe and possibly offer him feuds with the likes of crowd favourites such as Dolph Ziggler and Cesaro before he embarks on his pursuit of the WWE World Heavyweight title.

And with Cena going to be out for only two months, Sheamus can use that brief period to successfully defend the title before losing it to the Cenation leader once he returns. The only problem is that it would give rise to a situation where all the singles titles are in the hands of heel wrestlers, which is something that the WWE might not want to do.

#2 Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose is a former US Champion

Ambrose might just be the most popular active wrestler in the WWE today.

Every entrance of his gets a raucous ovation from the crowd, who has accepted him as the irrepressible rebel who never knows when to stay down. Ambrose might just be the closest thing that the WWE has to offer as a replacement for CM Punk.

However, time and again, the WWE Creative has shown that they have the least idea as to what to do with the ‘Lunatic Fringe’. Ever since the separation of the Shield which saw Seth Rollins getting the coveted heel role, Ambrose has been left in the doldrums. It is entirely his credit, he managed to turn the situation around by utilising his natural aggression to the play the rebel baby face role in an effective manner.

Ambrose has been cheered on by the fans to a larger extent than the unfortunate Roman Reigns, whose aura has been severely dented by being forced to play the role of a smart-talking baby face rather than the quiet destroyer he had been effective in portraying.

Ambrose and Cena haven’t exactly locked horns in the recent past and that gives a freshness to an angle involving the two. A former US Champion himself, Ambrose winning the title would give him a foundation that he has been craving for in recent times and a chance to showcase himself in the new position of having something to lose rather than being the one dimensional hot head he has been for the greater part of the year.

#1 Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler seems the most likely option at the moment

WWE has already given out a signal that Ziggler might be the one to beat Cena for the title – as was evident from the Show off’s inadvertent superkick to Cena at the end of last week’s Raw.

If Ziggler indeed captures the title, it will be a huge boost for his career, as he has been floundering in the mid-card for a long time now. However, it is another question altogether as to whether even a victory over Cena might give Ziggler the sustained push he deserves. Ziggler was the sole survivor at last year’s Survivor Series PPV which also involved Cena and the now WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins, but all that was forgotten in a matter of months.

But a US title victory at Hell in a Cell might just be the way to start as there is no doubt that Ziggler is one of most talented and popular superstars in the WWE today. Besides, he needs to get out of this never-ending angle with Lana and Summer Rae that has tested the intelligence of the WWE Universe recently.

Expect the former two-time World Heavyweight Champion to beat Cena at Hell in a Cell. It will be nothing more than what Ziggler deserves.