18 Ups & 12 Downs From The WWE SmackDown Live Era

By Michael Hamflett / October 2, 2019

15. Happy Rusev Day

A "YES Movement" for a generation of fans that simply couldn't be a*sed to fight anymore, Rusev Day was a fudged phenomenon for WWE, but hugely enjoyable at the peak of its powers.

Alongside Aiden English, the 'Bulgarian Brute' proved yet again that he's infinitely preferable bouncing off another character than going at it alone. In this case, the former Vaudevillain acting as his doting cheerleader triggered huge t-shirt sales, a weekly running gag, and a push that should have gone further than various secondary title losses on pay-per-views.

Nearly a case of what could have been rather than what it actually was, the journey ultimately proved better than the final destination.