On Monday Night Raw, Finn Bálor snapped Damien Priest’s impressive reign as United States Champion. Priest, who won the coveted championship at SummerSlam from Sheamus, showcased how important the championship is in building future stars.
Priest’s reign spanned over 191 days where he defeated Drew McIntrye, Sheamus, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, Apollo Crews, and Sami Zayn. That’s 6 former World Champions Priest was able to defeat in his title reign making him arguably one the best booked US Champions in history.
This would eventually come to a skirting halt as on the February 21st episode of Monday Night Raw after defeating Shelton Benjamin, Bálor would answer his challenge for a title match the following week.
On Raw, these two athletes put on a barnburner of a contest with Bálor stomping his way to the US Championship, hitting a Coup De Grace.
The first-ever Universal Champion accomplished a major feat in one pinfall. The championship’s origin began as a part of Jim Crockett Jr.’s NWA Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling territory in 1975.
Harley Race would become the inaugural NWA United States Heavyweight Champion after defeating Johnny Weaver in Tallahassee, Florida on January 1st at a house show. Since Race, there have been 99 unique champions, and Bálor just became the 100th.
The United States Championship has been held by some of the industry’s biggest names from Ric Flair, John Cena, Bret Hart, and Booker T. Finn Balor has now added his name to an extensive list of Hall of Famers, legends, and the industry’s best in-ring grapplers.
