The US title was one of those belts that had special meaning because the Apter mags and incarnations of the WCW Top Ten made the US champion the automatic number one contender. That meant that the title was mostly reserved for the top few guys on the show.

05/13/1988: NWA US Title Tournament Finals: Barry Windham def. Nikita Koloff in 10:10

This was the finals of a one-night tournament in Houston to fill the title after Dusty was stripped to return to the dead Midnight Rider angle. Windham only turned heel on television a few weeks before this, joining the Horsemen. Crewcut Nikita Koloff is right up there with the New Coke for worst recreation in the entire decade of the 1980s. Windham worked the leg the way Flair had against Nikita a million times, including using the figure-four, but it felt like Koloff was going through the motions. It could be because he had already worked with Uncle Ivan and Tully Banchard earlier in the night, but this was very paint-by-numbers. Nikita’s leg buckled on a slam, and Dillon held it down so Windham could get the win. This was basic, but also uninspired and flat. *1/2

12/23/1989 World Championship Wrestling: WCW US Title Match: Sting def. Lex Luger by DQ in 12:00. 

Luger worked a heel version that Ric Flair had worked with him a million times. It wasn’t at Ric’s level, but it was still good, and Lex really did try to make his best friend look like a million bucks. He ran around the ring, begged off, and took quite a few bumps. They had an excellent false finish: Luger lunged at Sting with a chair, but Sting rolled him up, and Luger just kicked out before the ref counted three. The finish with Luger hitting Sting with a chair as Sting hit the stinger splash to barely escape with a DQ win was the right call for right here and played into the rest of the match. This was short, but intense, and Lex channeled the heels that helped build him up when it came time to build his best friend. ***

05/15/1993 WCW Worldwide: US Title Match: Dustin Rhodes (C) NC Rick Rude in 11:22.

This was their first match since Rude returned from the back injury that forced him to vacate the US title a few months earlier, allowing Dustin to win the title in a tournament. I believe I mentioned this in some of my 1993 show reviews, but Rude never really got his form back after this particular injury. Even in this match, when Rude was supposed to take a slam off the top or the big backdrop he was known for, he changed his mind in midair and opted to land face-first instead. Dustin came in with his shoulder taped, but Rude worked the back, like Dustin’s. The match was slow, but the crowd was at least hot. The ref got hit a couple of times during the match, and each guy scored a visual pinfall. Another referee came in when there was a back suplex, and three was counted with both men’s shoulders up. The two officials argued over who had won. I DESPISE that finish because neither man was pinned, yet we got a three-count, so the refs were stupid twice. Rude wasn’t ready to return here, and it showed. *1/4