Bobby Roode vanquished Jinder Mahal in the finals of the United States Championship tournament. He outlasted seven other men to walk away victorious. It’s a brave new world for Roode.
Who will be next to face the Glorious One? Who will step to him and demand a shot at the star-spangled gold? Here are some bold predictions.
Dolph Ziggler
We’ve still not seen good ol’ Dolph Ziggler rear his head after seemingly vacating the US Championship. In fact, even commentary doesn’t mention him too much. They’ll just say the title is vacant and there’s a tournament for it. It’s kind of funny.
I don’t really think that Ziggles is coming back for the US Championship. I don’t even know if he’s coming back at all. Should he do that, then I think he and Bobby Roode could have some good matches. Their 2/3 Falls match last year was actually pretty good. If their matches are like that, then it should be fine.
I think that maybe Roode should retain against Dolph Ziggler should he return. Having Dolph win would be interesting, but the Glorious One is on the rise and the title is what he needs right now to cement his spot.
Jinder Mahal
After all the time and energy WWE invested into Jinder Mahal, I don’t think they’d want their efforts to go to waste. They failed to turn him into a champion. They can try to salvage this by using Jinder to get people over.
Despite losing to Bobby Roode in the finals, Mahal can still find himself in title contention. He can be someone to solidify Bobby Roode as a legitimate United States Champion. If they have one or two solid matches where Roode wins decisively, that will do much to cement Roode’s spot as a champion.
Jinder may not be a champion ever again, but he can help others achieve that goal.
Mojo Rawley
Contrary to popular opinion, Mojo Rawley does not suck. In fact, he’s quite good. He’s an underrated promo who understands his character and who he’s supposed to be. This makes up for any supposed in-ring deficiencies. Just because everyone and their mothers are doing backflips and Mojo isn’t doesn’t mean he’s not a good wrestler.
The match between Bobby and Mojo wasn’t particularly exciting, but it told a good story. With a little more time, I think Roode and Rawley could have some great matches.
Rawley is on the warpath right now, and given the state of Smackdown’s roster, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him to challenge Roode for the US title. Rookie mistakes can cost him the match, but as long as he can show his stuff, Rawley shouldn’t be too damaged by the loss.
Rusev
Rusev is a former two-time United States Champion, so he knows what it’s like to hold the star-spangled gold. He also has the benefit of being one of the most over superstars on Smackdown’s roster right now. If WWE won’t give him and Aiden English the tag team titles, then maybe Rusev could challenge for the United States Championship. Aiden English was unsuccessful in his attempts to win the title, but perhaps Rusev could be the one to dethrone Roode.
I think that out of all the potential match-ups here, this one could be the best. Rusev is an underrated wrestler with undeniable chemistry, so to see him and Roode lock horns would be something to see.
If and when Bobby Roode loses the title, perhaps he could drop it to Rusev, who has shown on multiple occassions that he has what it takes to be a champion.
