8 Wrestlers Triple H Can’t Get Over In WWE

4. Rusev

During his first WWE run, Rusev always felt like he was being held back by Vince McMahon’s refusal to invest in superstars that got over without his say-so. He's more charismatic than being a monosyllabic foreign villain, understood fans enough to conceptualise and run with "Rusev Day", and there was a gut feeling that he’d crush it in AEW when he signed for Tony Khan in 2020.

To this day, Rusev has had one of the best reigns in TNT Championship history. His Apocalypse Now-friendly promos as 'The Redeemer' were captivating, and his in-ring work remained agile and flamboyant for a bigger man. However, Khan didn’t book him as a main event talent, so he dwindled in AEW.

This all meant that Rusev’s return to WWE came with lofty expectations and a lot of anticipation, but the Bulgarian has struggled to hook audiences so far. He had a feud with Sheamus that excited those who like smash-mouth wrestling, but fans haven’t warmed to him as they did in his early AEW days or his first run in WWE. He does have the talent to change that, and he’s been booked in a championship match at WrestleMania 42, but he’s yet to find his place in this latest “new era”.