10 Quick WWE Fixes To Save Rusev

9. Doing A 'Jinder'

Rusev WWE Champion
WWE

It's often trotted out as an unrealistic rapid-fire solution to reheating an ice cold character, but the idea of lumping the WWE Title on literally any old midcarder has never been so relevant.

Ironically, current titleholder Jinder Mahal found himself paired with Rusev upon his 2016 return to the company in a conscious effort from the organisation to use some of 'The Bulgarian Brute's momentum to rebuild the long-forgotten former 3MB member.

The two formed an enjoyable odd couple unit on Monday Nights before an injury to Rusev and the the April 'Superstar Shake-up' sent both over to SmackDown Live! with astonishingly differing results.

Since Mahal scooped the World Title less than a month removed from the switch, he's yet been able to find a single opponent that exploits the few positives he actually possesses. AJ Styles gave him something passable on television, but matches against Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura and select others have grossly underwhelmed, leaving few with high hopes for the remainder of his unlikely run.

A battle (and title trade) with Rusev would undoubtedly benefit the challenger far more than the Champion, but their feud would likely reignite a long dormant fire in the Bulgarian, and hopefully aid a quick recovery for the fallen 'Maharaja' in the probable rematch.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett