The United States championship was revived back in 2003 and it is one of the top titles in the WWE midcard. The look of the title has not changed but the latest rumors imply that the WWE is looking to give it a makeover.
The first-ever U.S. champ since its revival was Eddie Guerrero. The title was prestigious in the mid-2000s when superstars like The Big Show, John Cena, Booker T, MVP, Matt Hardy and Shelton Benjamin. However, it took a different turn when the 2010s rolled trough.
Even though superstars like Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro, and Dean Ambrose have held the titles, the prestige of it was not the same. When Cena won it last year, he was able to elevate the championship.
The current U.S. champ is Roman Reigns and he is expected to hold the title for a long period. According to Four3Four, the WWE is looking to give the championship a makeover and update it to a more different look.
"The current word right now is that after WrestleMania the championship will get a face lift and the speculation surrounding this also believes the championship will be moved to SmackDown. We should also note that the current plans are to bring the Intercontinental Championship over to Raw also during the swap," the report noted.
It should be pointed out that these are just purely speculative at the moment and nothing has been confirmed. Nevertheless, the WWE has big plans for the title since Reigns is the superstar holding it. But for now, he is set to face Kevin Owens at Roadblock: End of the Line for the WWE Universal Championship.
According to The Wrestling Observer (subscription required), Reigns is not expected to win the Universal title at the moment. The WWE wants The Big Dog to establish the U.S. title first before winning another world title.
The report also noted that Reigns' next opponent is likely Braun Strowman. The plan is for Strowman to beat The Big Show first before turning to Reigns before WrestleMania 33. They are expected to face off the Grandest Stage of Them All for the United States title.
So far in his reign, The Guy has only defended his title twice: against Rusev and Chris Jericho. Check out the video below to see Reigns battle it out against Strowman in an episode of Raw last year.