#2. Rusev – Fastlane 2015
2015 was a memorable year for John Cena as The Champ elevated the United States Championship with the US Title open challenge. However, before the weekly tradition of open challenges began, Cena had taken a loss to the previous US Champion, Rusev.
Fans often overlook Rusev’s victory for several reasons. It’s hard to blame them because Cena convincingly defeated the Bulgarian Brute several times after Fastlane 2015. Most notably, The Champ forced Rusev to say the words “I quit” at Payback 2015. Cena quickly moved on to a memorable feud with the upstart Kevin Owens, while Rusev lost momentum and got injured.
Rusev was featured in “The Last Time is Now” tournament. Although he lost in the second round to Jey Uso, it would have been a cool sight to revisit his storyline with Cena during the farewell tour.
#1. Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE SmackDown, August 2017
Shinsuke Nakamura will go down as one of the biggest missed opportunities in recent memory. The Japanese sensation had the world behind him in his initial few years in WWE. He brought a ton of momentum from NXT to the main roster, and WWE immediately launched him into the main event scene.
In what may go down as the biggest win of his main roster career, Nakamura defeated John Cena on SmackDown in August 2017 to earn a WWE Championship shot against Jinder Mahal at SummerSlam. The King of Strong Style failed to win the belt, but quickly bounced back with a monumental Royal Rumble win.
Unfortunately, Nakamura never won the WWE Championship, and he randomly turned heel. Despite several teases and brief pushes, the Japanese star never reached the heights of his initial push. Today, he is used sparingly.
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