Its hard to believe that it was just one year ago that Rusev (who then had a first name, Alexander) debuted in WWE. The Bulgarian Brute plowed through Zack Ryder with a series of power moves and won quickly with the Accolade. Even from that early performance, its clear that many of the major pieces were there: his look, speed, crispness in the ring and demeanor. And of course, Lana. What came over time was the over-the-top pro-Russia routine, with the flag-waving, Gold Star medal and Russian banner that drops from the ceiling when Rusev wins. Those developments helped turn up the American jingoism among opponents and fans, which added more heat to Rusev.This was a solid debut for Rusev, but beating Ryder was about as big an accomplishment as winning a fourth-grade spelling bee.