Backstage Update On WWE Punishing Rusev And Lana On Raw

Rusev gets engaged to Lana in real life, jobs clean to Ryback in three minutes.

By Grahame Herbert /

Rusev was pinned clean in three minutes by Ryback this week on WWE Raw. He was then slapped and verbally humiliated by Summer Rae, who was furious at the news this weekend that Rusev and Lana are engaged. The whole segment looked like WWE having a petty response to the real life news of the Rusev and Lana engagement. It ruined what had been a several month storyline investment in Rusev and Summer Rae as a couple. "It could be that they are furious at the guy for not kayfabing," Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio. However, Meltzer also suggests that it is the start of a Rusev face turn, and may have actually been designed to put sympathy on Rusev and Lana. This would also involve Summer Rae partnering with Dolph Ziggler, who is due to turn heel. It could then lead to matches with Ziggler and Summer versus Rusev and Lana. Whatever the long term plan, the booking on Raw was horrible. Rusev was an undefeated monster for so long up until his loss to John Cena earlier this year. Now he's doing three minute clean jobs to Ryback. All because he got engaged in real life to the woman he loves? It is very harsh from the WWE.