5 Superstars to dethrone R-Truth for the US Championship

On the January 29th, 2019 edition of SmackDown two days after the Royal Rumble 2019 event, we saw R-Truth being awarded a one on one match for the US Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura.

This was because Nia Jax had brutally attacked Truth from behind at the Royal Rumble 2019 match to steal his #30 spot so that she could be the fourth women to compete in the men's Royal Rumble match.

Truth then faced off with Shinsuke Nakamura before gaining a shocking victory and taking the US Championship away in the process. Following the match, Rusev then came out as he invoked his rematch clause straight after Truth's win, which led to Truth gaining another win to make it two victories in two nights.

It's clear that Truth is in for a decent run with the title, however, this provides great options for superstars that can take the US Championship away from him.

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Here are 5 superstars who could potentially end Truth's US title reign.

#5 Eric Young

Apart from Nikki Cross, the rest of Sanity was drafted to SmackDown as part of the 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-Up. However, the stable only has one major win which came against The New Day at Extreme Rules 2018 in a Tables Match. Despite that win, Sanity is clearly floundering on the main roster with Eric Young being affected the most.

Young is clearly not being used to his full potential right now, which is why he would be a decent option to take the US Championship away from Truth. The former TNA World Heavyweight Champion must be booked as a serious threat, which makes him a good foe for Truth who is happy-go-lucky.

But most importantly, it would give Sanity a very big boost as a whole to have their 'leader' hold a title. They desperately need to be seen as a threat again, and it would give Young an effective direction in their quest to take over SmackDown Live.

#4 EC3

On December 17th, 2018, EC3 was one of the six superstars that were announced to be heading to the main roster. We have already seen EC3 make his Raw debut on the 4th February 2019 episode of Raw when he successfully defeated Dean Ambrose in a match after appearing on A Moment of Bliss which is hosted by Alexa Bliss.

However, EC3 is yet to be assigned to a brand which poses the question of whether he'll end up on Raw or SmackDown. Despite the fact that EC3 is being portrayed as a babyface, there is no denying that his narcissistic character is tailor-made for a heel.

Taking the US Championship away from Truth whether it's as a heel or babyface would do wonders for EC3's career on the main roster. It's clear that he is destined for greatness, he is definitely a future world champion in the WWE. Having him gradually build himself up whilst holding the US Champion would be a great way to go.

#3 Erick Rowan

The Big Red has had a very intriguing start to 2019 as we saw him align himself with the current WWE Champion in The New Daniel Bryan at the Royal Rumble 2019 event after he helped Bryan retain his WWE Championship in a match against The Phenomenal One himself, AJ Styles.

However, Rowan's character is completely different from when he was competing in The Bludgeon Brothers. Instead, we are seeing a Rowan who is more aware of his surroundings as he is aiding Bryan in his quest for a more eco-friendly world by being his bodyguard.

This provides a great opportunity to boost his storyline with Bryan, by having Rowan defeat Truth for the US Championship. Not only would this give Rowan his first ever singles title in the WWE, but it would also enhance Bryan's vision of being The Planet's Champion. It would make this duo a force to be reckoned with, as they could continue to cause havoc on SmackDown.

#2 Randy Orton

Despite the fact that Randy Orton is currently scheduled to compete in the 2019 SmackDown Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship, it seems highly unlikely that The Viper will win the title as we are in early stages of Daniel Bryan's title reign.

But this doesn't change the fact that Orton is rumoured for a Wrestlemania match with AJ Styles, which is why Orton could potentially defeat Truth for the US Championship in the future.

The feud between Styles and Orton doesn't necessarily need a title, but as we are heading into Wrestlemania season, it will give the duo something to fight for if they are facing each other at The Grandest Stage of them All.

It will also boost the prestige of the US Championship by having two of Smackdown's biggest stars face each other with the title on the line. We have seen Orton also hold the title before, as he has been a good option to slide into the mid-card and main event whenever he has been needed to without his aura being damaged.

#1 Andrade

Finally, we have El Idolo at number one on the list as Andrade should be the man to take the US Championship away from R-Truth.

Andrade has had a great start to 2019 so far, as we have seen him put on many fantastic matches with Rey Mysterio that have put the entire WWE Universe on notice. At the Royal Rumble 2019 match, Andrade was in the final 4 which suggests just how much WWE values the "Tranquilo" one.

Even though Andrade has had a name change, this may be another suggestion that Vince McMahon is high on him as we've seen superstars such as Elias and Rusev have simple changes to their name.

However, a US Championship win for Andrade would be the most efficient way to get Andrade noticed even more by the casual WWE fans. It would also provide more momentum for his pairing with Zelina Vega, which has been one of the most entertaining aspects of SmackDown as well.

Edited by Anirban Banerjee