Since arriving from NXT, "The Bulgarian Brute" Rusev has dominated the competition and amassed a formidable unbeaten streak but even more importantly, he's actually become pretty good, demonstrating an athleticism and selling ability not usually found in men of his stature. A rumored upcoming feud with a returning Big Show may not offer much in the way of in-ring action, but it can elevate the rookie's stock even further. That could bring Rusev to a good place for a challenge from the returning Bryan. Picture it Lana cuts her usual shrill, braggadocios promo about the superiority of Mother Russia, when suddenly, Daniel Bryan makes a surprise return. Lana gets on him about being weak just like America, naturally but Bryan reveals that he has, in fact, been cleared to compete! The two get into a scuffle, with Bryan forcing the big man to bail. Over the weeks, a frazzled Rusev continues to orchestrate a series of sneak attacks on the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion rather than face him head-on, until they meet at WrestleMania and The Yes! Man scores a big win for his home country. After all, who better to stand up to "The Bulgarian Brute" than an American Dragon?
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
