10 Best Big Men In Wrestling Today
5. Rusev
When Rusev first came up from NXT, fans worried that he was going to be WWE's latest attempt at pushing an anti-American monster heel regardless of how talented he was (or wasn't). Many of his early matches were quick squashes against unpushed talent, proving little. People began to suspect that "The Bulgarian Brute" was the second coming of Vladimir Kozlov.
Thankfully, as fans would soon see, that wasn't the case at all. When Rusev took on talented stars (like Big E and Jack Swagger) in more competitive matches, he was able to show what he could do. Not only was he surprisingly agile and coordinated for a 6'0", 304-pound man, but he had a great understanding of how to play his bully-type character in the ring. He won the U.S. Title from Sheamus, before ultimately losing it - and his undefeated streak - to John Cena at WrestleMania.
Though the Cena matches were well-received, they nearly spelled doom for Rusev. He spent 2015 in a free-fall, losing more and more matches. By the end of the year, he was part of The League of Nations, which went absolutely nowhere.
Thankfully, WWE seems to have realized what they have in Rusev. He's recently gotten something of a push again, reclaiming the U.S. Championship.