Mr Kennedy says his US Championship run was cut short

Mr Kennedy revealed that his US Championship run was cut short because The Undertaker specifically requested to work with him, and management felt a mid-card title was beneath Taker, so they made Kennedy drop the title to Benoit:

“I realize to be World Heavyweight Champion in these companies is a big deal. However, at the end of the day these titles are…just props used to tell a story.

Undertaker actually went to Vince and told him that he wanted to work a program with me, and they always felt the United States Championship was beneath Taker. So, it was something that wouldn’t further our storyline, so it was not necessary for me to have it [the United States Championship]”