WWE has this oddball attitude of giving pushes and Championship runs to people they love. In doing so, they stop giving pushes to the superstars who are actually over with the WWE universe
Rusev is an example of a charismatic wrestler not being given a push. Rusev started off as a huge villain in WWE. He was given a Russian gimmick and that catapulted him to huge success until John Cena defeated him in WrestleMania.
Rusev was never the same again. He was involved in an odd romantic angle with Lana, Dolph Ziggler and Summer Rae. Then came an odder pairing with Jinder Mahal. But, things changed when Rusev joined Smackdown Live. His pairing with Aiden English was a huge success, and “Rusev Day” chants started taking over the arena.
Still, WWE have never gave him a title run in this period. Rusev had 1 tag team title opportunity and 1 United States Title opportunity, both of which he squashed away.
Rusev was later announced to be the opponent of The Undertaker in a casket match. The match was to happen at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as a part of the Greatest Royal Rumble event.
Social media backlashed at the announcement, fearing Rusev will be buried again though some of the critics felt that facing The Undertaker at the final stage of his career is a major achievement in itself.
Lana, Rusev’s wife and former kayfabe manager, protested the decision of Rusev being in the casket match against the creator of the match himself, and urged the WWE management to replace Rusev in the match.
Whether it was the result of Lana’s messages or not, WWE replaced Rusev with a returning Chris Jericho. “The Alpha” taking on “The Phenom” is a mouth-watering possibility which has made each and every fan happy.
But, strangely, Rusev has removed all references to his employer, WWE, in his social media accounts. The reason of this is still unknown, but rumours are being circulated of Rusev leaving the company.
Nothing have been confirmed by WWE, but Stu Bennett (Bad News Barrett) has fueled the rumour by inviting Rusev to Defiant Wrestling.
It is highly unlikely for Rusev to leave the company permanently. It may be a part of a new and improved storyline for Rusev. Don’t worry, Rusev will most probably be seen in Jeddah itself, as a part of the 50 man Royal Rumble match
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