Presitge Restored to the United States Title; The Miz's New Attitude

While on Smackdown, the United States Title was rarely defended, this explains why there were such long title reigns on the part of MVP, Matt Hardy, and Shelton Benjamin.

Yet, with its move over to WWE’s franchise brand – RAW – things were looking up for the United States Title.

Ever since Kofi Kingston won the strap from MVP on Monday Night RAW, the United States Title has been defended time and time again; sometimes one-on-one and other times in crazy stipulations – Fatal Four-Way and Six Pack Challenge.

Yet, crazy stipulations don’t generate credibility for a championship. It appears as a stepping stone for the next prize. That’s why I side more with one-on-one competition.

On WWE Superstars, United States Champion Kofi Kingston teamed up with Divas’ Champion Mickie James in a Mixed-Gendered Tag Team Match against Carlito and Rosa Mendes.

Unlike SummerSlam 2008, Kofi and Mickie’s titles were not on the line – but a pinfall on either champion can open up doors to a future title shot.

Which is exactly what happened when Kofi was pinned after a fatal Backstabber by Carlito; the pinfall granted the Southpaw from San Juan a Title shot last Monday Night on RAW.

The match was issued by RAW’s Guest Host, Freddy Prince Jr., in attempts to bring SummerSlam to the RAW audience, a little early.

Rosa Mendes once again came out to support Carlito, possibly his new arm candy. If you notice, Mendes is now showing off her flat stomach, probably happy that she shed the weight before getting the axe. Yet, it was funny when she got into the ring along with Carlito (She’s there for ringside support, not to join the match) – He looked at her and politely told her to get out.

The match was a Caribbean Clash of Cool vs. Boom! Carlito has shown more aggression in the ring and his fro dangles low – like an Emo-Caribbean Cool. Many times, Carlito was almost disqualified for not adhering to the ref’s 5-count, but it took the Trouble in Paradise Kick to ensure victory on The Jamaican Superstar, proving that he is a fighting champion and accepts any challenge.

Yet, this match wasn’t the end of the United States Title picture, but the beginning. The following match was not a #1 Contenders match, but it was proving a statement of who is championship material.

The match was Evan “Air” Bourne against the return of The Miz. Two weeks ago, Miz was banned from RAW indefinitely under the stipulation set by Jeremy Piven if he lost to Cena, which he did.

Rumors went around that he would be reassigned to a new brand – possibly start a feud with John Morrison over on Smackdown, or even pursue other projects in Hollywood. But the rumors were silenced last week as the Calgary Kid won the Contract on the Pole match against the returning and now released Eugene. The Calgary Kid was revealed to be none other than – THE MIZ!

The Miz stated before his match against Bourne that he has a new attitude, new look, but the same mouth. The Miz has traded his shorts for a pair of Ying and Yang trunks. I for one love the new look, it shows that he is serious about his wrestling technique – especially since locking Bourne in an Inverted Double Underhook Boston Crab.

Bourne put up a good fight, but Miz anticipated every high flying maneuver and secured the victory with a new finisher – The Skull Crushing Finale (Full Nelson Facebuster)

The Miz stated at the end of his match that this is the first step on his road to the United States Championship. If Miz were to defeat Kofi Kingston, this would mark his first single’s title.

A good part of the first hour of RAW was devoted to the United States Title: A successful title defense; and the promise of a pursuit for the title – Thus, restoring prestige back to the Title.