Five Possible Opponents for John Cena at WWE 'Hell in a Cell' for United States Championship

WWE fans learned on this week's episode of Monday Night Raw that John Cena would take his weekly United States Championship Open Challenge to pay-per-view this Sunday at Hell in a Cell. His challenger will remain a mystery until that time, but we've got a list of five possible opponents for the 15-time world champion.

Cena's weekly open challenge had been the best part of Raw for the entirety of the summer. Each week, a new man emerged from behind the curtain to take a shot at the champ, and the result was an eclectic variety of matches in which Cena raised his game. All the fans who said Cena couldn't wrestle or only had Five Moves of Doom had nothing to say after we saw the champion compete in four-star matches each and every week.

And the opponents were as numerous as they were varied: Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Rusev, Stardust, Bad News Barrett, Neville, Kane, Zack Ryder, Cesaro, Xavier Woods, Big E, Dolph Ziggler.

Before we get to our predictions, keep in mind the widespread rumors and reports that John Cena will be taking some time off soon, likely after Hell in a Cell. So for our list, we're only going to predict people that have a credible chance at beating Cena, likely with some interference or shenanigans.

So without further ado, let's get to our list.

1) Dean Ambrose

Ambrose had a match scheduled for the pre-show against Luke Harper and Braun Strowman of The Wyatt Family, but that's off the table now that his partner, Randy Orton, has been mysteriously taken out and Harper is MIA. This means the Lunatic Fringe's dance card is free on Sunday.

Ambrose was the longest reigning United States Champion, so it would make total sense for him to regain the belt. Plus, he has beaten Cena before, so there's no reason that he couldn't do it again. It would give his character some direction and focus outside of helping his buddy Roman Reigns take on The Wyatts.

2) Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler just had a shot at the belt on Raw and he came close to picking up the win, but Cena took his best shot and subdued The Show Off with an Attitude Adjustment to hold onto the belt. Cena has defended his U.S. title against the same challenger more than once, so there's no reason Ziggler can't go for it one more time. Dolph is a credible enough challenger that a victory over Cena would not be completely out of the question.

3) Tyler Breeze

This one is a bit more a long shot, but we're including him because of the reports that Prince Pretty is on the main roster. A victory over Cena in his first match on the main stage of WWE might seem a little bit far-fetched, but some nefarious heel means could get him to the victory.

The company could then spin this into a storyline with Dolph Ziggler. There are rumors that Summer Rae could pair with Tyler, which would make him a prime candidate to feud with Dolph. The two men have similar gimmicks, so the story pretty much writes itself.

4) Randy Orton

They've fought roughly 786 times in their careers, so why not add one more to the pile?

5) Brock Lesnar

Admit it. It would be hilarious to watch Lesnar destroy Cena, win the United States Championship, then just hurl it into the crowd because it's beneath him and vacate it in 12 seconds.

Who do you think Cena will face in the United States Championship Open Challenge at Hell in a Cell? Let us know in the comments section below.