5 longest reigning WWE United States Champions 

#2 Rick Rude held the United States Championship for 378 days

Rick Rude

The 'Ravshing' one Rick Rude made headlines winning the United States Championship at World Championship Wrestling's Clash of Champions in 1991. With Paul E Danerously (Paul Heyman) by his side, he defeated Sting to become the champion.

It was a star-studded card that night that also included names like Steve Austin, Brian Pillman and Lex Luger retaining their respective titles. Fans in Savannah, GA were overjoyed with the action they witnessed.

What Rick Rude wore: November 19, 1991.Clash of the Champions XVII. US Championship on waist. WCW and Clash on legshttps://t.co/yDZf5uw2d2 pic.twitter.com/E70fpNf9Eu

— Lagerwhat? (@Lagerwhat) March 31, 2017

Following his title victory, he went on to face some of the biggest names in the industry as United States Champion, including Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat, whilst being a part of The Dangerous Alliance under the reigning terror of Paul Heyman.

Unfortunately, Rude's reign as United States Champion didn't end because he lost the championship, it ended due to an injury that forced him to relinquish the title. A serious neck injury was the cause which brought Rude's 14-month reign to an abrupt end.

Rick Rude sadly passed away in 1999, and Eric Bischoff described what Rude was like and his relationship with him on his 83 Weeks Podcast:

"You know, there were ups and downs. There were some challenging moments. For the most part we got along great. We came from kind of the same area, had a lot of mutual friends growing up, even before I got into wrestling and so forth. I’ve talked about him in the past. Rick was a really, really interesting dude." Eric Bischoff said (h/t 411mania.com)

"@hiropiter Rick Rude & Paul Heyman ( @HeymanHustle ) & Steve Austin ( @steveaustinBSR ) R.I.P. Ravishing Rick Rude pic.twitter.com/SROqw9lXWQ"

— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) April 22, 2014