The Real Americans The Real Americans were a professional wrestling tag team in the WWE , consisting of Cesaro and Jack Swagger , managed by Zeb Colter . Their gimmick , and by extension the explanation for their team name , is that of American patriotism and xenophobia , with them explaining that they are " Real Americans " because they were either born in the United States ( in the case of Swagger ) or entered the country legally ( in the case of Cesaro ) . They were known for their signature catchphrase " We the People ! " . Formation . WWE ( 2013 – 2014 ) . In February 2013 , Jack Swagger returned to television following an extended absence with a new manager , Zeb Colter . Colter , an advocate of anti - illegal immigration beliefs , would strongly influence Swagger in the following months , with the two developing the catchphrase " We the People ! " By June 2013 , Swagger had once again taken a leave of absence to undergo surgery on his hand . In his absence , Colter acquired Antonio Cesaro ( who had previously been an active member of the roster ) as a client on the June 17 " Raw " . Once again , Colter ' s belief systems were transferred over to his client . In spite of the fact that Cesaro is of European heritage , seemingly serving as an antonym personified for Colter ' s xenophobia , Colter justified his inclusion as a " Real American " because of his entry to the country legally . Swagger began accompanying Cesaro alongside Colter on the July 1 " Raw " , during which Cesaro defeated Cody Rhodes . At the July 14 Money in the Bank pay - per view , both Cesaro and Swagger competed in the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank ladder match , however both were unsuccessful . It ' s important to note that the two aided each other throughout the match and even entered the ring together , accompanied by Colter . The following night on " Raw " , billed as " The Real Americans " , they were defeated by The Usos . At Night of Champions , they lost a Tag Team Turmoil for a WWE Tag Team Championship match , being lastly eliminated by The Prime Time Players , after eliminating both The Usos and Tons of Funk . The following night on " Raw " , they would once again lose another number one contender match for the tag team titles against The Usos and Tons of Funk . They started a feud with Santino Marella and The Great Khali after Santino beat Cesaro in his return match at his hometown . At Battleground , they beat Santino Marella and The Great Khali after Cesaro swung The Great Khali several times . They would start a feud with Los Matadores after Zeb Colter called them " Los Illegals " . They would continue to confront Los Matadores for the next several weeks with Zeb Colter coming out with a whip , mocking El Torito . At the Hell in a Cell pay - per - view , they were defeated by Los Matadores to conclude their feud . The following night on " Raw " , they defeated the WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust , thus earning themselves a future title shot . They got their title shot on the November 22nd edition of " SmackDown " , but were defeated by Cody Rhodes and Goldust . At Survivor Series , The Real Americans along with The Shield defeated the team of Rey Mysterio , The Usos , Cody Rhodes and Goldust . On the December 13 " SmackDown " , it was announced that The Real Americans would face Rey Mysterio and The Big Show , Ryback and Curtis Axel , and Cody Rhodes and Goldust for the WWE Tag Team Championships at the pay - per - view . They were the second team eliminated after Big Show delivered a WMD to Cesaro at the event . Both Swagger and Cesaro would compete in the Royal Rumble match , coming in at No . 7 and No . 21 , respectively , with both being eliminated by Kevin Nash and Roman Reigns , respectively . Tensions were teased between Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger the following night on Raw as Cesaro was forced to calm down Swagger after Colter had slapped him . On the January 31st , 2014 edition of Smackdown , Cesaro would defeat Dolph Ziggler to qualify to compete in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship , but Swagger lost to a returning Christian the same night , being unable to join his partner in the match for the title . The following week on Raw , after Swagger once again lost to Christian , Colter once again threw a temper tantrum on Swagger as Cesaro nodded his head . The night after the Elimination Chamber event on " Raw " , Cesaro took on Big E . He lost by disqualification , when Swagger interfered and applied an ankle lock submission hold to Big E . Despite ongoing issues , Swagger and Cesaro defeated The Usos on the " Raw " episode on March 17 , possibly putting them in line for a shot at the tag titles . At WrestleMania XXX , Swagger and Cesaro lost a tag team title match , and after the match Swagger put Cesaro in the patriot lock , but Zeb Colter told him to stop and shake hands with Cesaro , so they did ; however , Cesaro turned it into a cesaro swing and left . Later that night , Cesaro won the André the Giant memorial battle royal to win the large André trophy . The following night on " Raw " , Cesaro announced he was now a Paul Heyman guy , which resulted in Swagger coming out and attacking Cesaro . Zeb Colter is looking for a new " Real American " replacement of Cesaro .