Is Rusev The Favorite To Win Money In The Bank?
'The Bulgarian Brute' has his supporters backstage.
Although both he and his wife Lana were moved to SmackDown in the Superstar Shakeup, Rusev has yet to make an appearance due to an injury. He's spent his time healing demanding that Shane McMahon grant him a title shot upon his arrival to the Tuesday night brand. The mini-program has been a great way to keep 'The Bulgarian Brute' on the minds of fans while he gets back into ring shape.
There's been speculation that this angle is leading toward a match between he and the SmackDown GM at SummerSlam, which would be a huge step in the right direction toward reestablishing some of Rusev's lost momentum, as well as a tremendous vote of confidence from WWE management.
Rusev even went so far as to threaten to return to his home country should he be denied the championship match he believes he deserves. He was scheduled to make his SmackDown debut on the 16 May episode, but was held back at the last moment.
It appears there are those within WWE who wanted to see a Randy Orton/Rusev feud for the WWE world title, and the company apparently even went as far as to ask him fly in to Chicago for Backlash with the potential of kickstarting an angle between the two.
That was rendered moot when 'The Viper' dropped the belt to Jinder Mahal, but now that same segment of Rusev supporters is pulling for him to win the briefcase at the SmackDown-exclusive Money in the Bank pay-per-view on 18 June in St. Louis, Missouri.
The fact that he was pulled from both SmackDown and Backlash reportedly means that option is still on the table, and Rusev is a solid choice to exit the carnage of the ladder match with case in hand. This could possibly even bring with it a Rusev face turn, as Jinder is exactly the type of performer that could sway casual fans to Rusev's side in droves.
Despite the frustrating situation at the very top of the card, SmackDown has a good amount of performers who would make ideal briefcase holders. There being no clear-cut favorite is a great problem to have, but it looks like Rusev has the support of some backstage power players.
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Do you want to see Rusev as this year's Money in the Bank winner? Drop your preference in the comments.