Real Reason Rusev Has Been Removed From WWE Television

Things don't look good for Rusev at the moment. Here's why.

By Andy H Murray /

WWE

As reported yesterday, WWE creative has nothing for Rusev at the moment, with 'The Bulgarian Brute' bizarrely removed from television before resolving his ongoing long-running storyline with Lana, Bobby Lashley, and Liv Morgan.

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The reason creative has nothing for him is simple: Rusev and WWE are currently embroiled in a contract dispute.

This is according to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He writes that with Rusev yanked from the old "love square" programme, "it looks like he never gets his revenge at the end unless his contract situation works out." Later, he reaffirms that the dispute explains why Rusev is no longer appearing on Raw.

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Rusev and Lashley were removed from the Royal Rumble in January, with the announcers claiming this was because they'd been brawling backstage. This suggested their feud was set to continue after the event. Now, there's a chance it may never see a proper resolution.

Barely a month passes without some kind of speculation on Rusev's future, so it's probably safest to take this latest story with a pinch of salt, though it was reported a few months ago that WWE had made retaining him a top priority.

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