5 Challengers for the United States Champion

The annual swapping of mid-card champions has happened once again with the draft, which means the current champions now have a new crop of talent to defend their championships against.
The timing couldn’t have been any better for Austin Theory as his reign as United States Champion had reached its end on Monday Nights. 

There just was nothing left for him to do on Raw.  But over on Smackdown, we have some fresh faces for the young superstar.  So today, we will look at the top 5 contenders for Austin Theory to feud with on Friday nights

1. Solo Sikoa

Another scenario where WWE will have to find a way around both participants being a top-level heels on the show.  We talked about how Cameron Grimes and Austin Theory COULD be a big-time rivalry in WWE moving forward for a long time, well this one WILL be a big-time rivalry.
Solo has all the tools and is being groomed by the best in the business today to be the top heel on any show he winds up on.  Under the tutelage of Paul Heyman, the sky’s the limit for him.  Austin Theory is enjoying some success now as a heel, but it will be the babyface turn that truly takes him to the next level and there is no better opponent for him to have to make this thing official than Solo himself.  And while Roman has a stronghold over the top single title on Smackdown, it only makes sense for Solo to eventually look to make claim to his own success on Smackdown.
When the time comes to not only take the title off of Theory but turn him into a full-fledged babyface, this is the program that I think will be the most impactful for both moving forward.

2. Grayson Waller

Whereas I think these two are far too similar to be involved in a feud, I think they are both far too good at what they do to ignore a meeting among them.

Since turning heel in NXT, Grayson has shown week in and week out that he is one of the most entertaining talents that is currently employed by WWE.  A scenario that showcases one of the best young in-ring talents with one of the most entertaining fresh faces on the main roster is a win-win situation.  How they manage to make it work with both being heavily hated individuals is a small hurdle they would need to clear, but one that would definitely be worth it in the end.

3. Santos Escobar

I’m not sure how long the Babyface Santos run will last but we might as well capitalize on it while we can.  Coming off the success of Backlash and the momentum LWO gained from the show, Santos would be a fantastic dance partner for Austin Theory.  A feud that will focus more on what the two can do in the ring would be a great way for Austin Theory to cement himself at the top of the competition on Friday nights.
Whereas the fans have seen what Austin Theory is capable of, a high profile one on one feud is what Santos has been missing since getting called up to the main roster.  Having a dance partner like Theory who is not only talented in the ring but also heavily hated is a great way to see exactly where Santos is on the card, according to the fanbase.  If Escobar can’t get over in this feud, the babyface project can come to an end and we can revisit what he was doing in NXT, which worked very well.

4. Cameron Grimes

This feud will take Cameron Grimes straight to… the… moooooon!

I have no doubt that Grimes will get over fine with the audience.  He has a natural likability to him with his unconventional kind of charm.  He has already introduced himself to the audience by taking care of Baron Corbin in a whopping 5 seconds.  I imagine that that quick squash win is a sign of positive things to come for him, and a feud with Austin Theory for the US Title in a few months would work wonders for Cameron Grimes.
The longer Theory’s run lasts, the more over whoever beats him will be.  Capitalizing on an up-and-coming guy like Cameron would help solidify him as one of the top babyfaces of the brand.  And with both men being relatively young, this could be the beginning of a major rivalry in WWE for the next 5-10 years.

5. Sheamus

The quest to complete the grand slam by capturing the Intercontinental Title fell short for Sheamus, but during that adventure, he was able to keep all of his momenta and then some.  Sheamus is a guy that can be thrust right into the spot and be looked at as a credible challenger for the US Title.  The term win-win scenario comes to mind when booking this potential feud because there is literally nothing bad that can come with this pairing for a feud.  A win over Sheamus wouldn’t catapult Theory up the card but it would give him an opponent that will push him to the limits in the ring with his very physical style and with how over Sheamus has been the last few months, it would no doubt garner some more heat for the young Theory.

So there you have it.  Each one of these is not only feud I can see happening but would present us with legitimate challengers for the United States Championship.  And with how the IC Title was booked on Smackdown due to Roman’s continuous absence, you can assume they will do everything in their power to mimic that success with Austin Theory’s title as well.

Agree?  Disagree?  Sound off in the comments as always.  Let me know who you think should have made the list.  Who shouldn’t have made the list?  Who you would like to see take the title off of Austin Theory and when.  Let’s hear it all!

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