10 Times WWE Totally Dropped The Ball On Rusev
WWE can't help but put a damper on Rusev Day.
It's hard to believe that Rusev celebrates six years on WWE's main roster this month following his debut in 2014's Royal Rumble match. In that time, he's come close to attaining super stardom on countless occasions but seen his stock drop at the worst of times.
Rusev was one of the rare NXT call-ups to receive an aggressive push right out of the gate. After going undefeated for over a year and being built up as a monster heel, he was pushed back down the card once his rivalry with John Cena ran its course. From entering WrestleMania in a tank to sitting on the sidelines to being forced to watch his wife make out with another man, Rusev has experienced a great number of ups and downs throughout his tenure.
The Bulgarian Brute could have easily been a multi-time champion by now instead of the glorified comedy act he has become. Considering he's been involved in a never-ending story with Lana and Bobby Lashley for months now, his fortunes don't look to be changing any time soon.
Perhaps leaving when his current contract expires and taking his talents elsewhere would force WWE to realize what they've been missing out on with him all these years, but until then, expect the company to continue holding him down while he meanders in the midcard.
10. Feuding With Enzo Amore
Enzo Amore and Big Cass were in a similar boat as Rusev in that they started out hot on WWE's main roster but quickly fizzled out. By late 2016, they largely meant nothing and thus Rusev being put in a dead-end feud with them felt like a major demotion from where he was previously (a program with Roman Reigns over the United States Championship).
The rivalry came about after Enzo accidentally ran into Lana backstage, which angered Rusev. This led to a series of silly segments where Lana attempted to seduce Enzo only for Rusev to beat him in a hotel room. Granted, it did far more to make Enzo look bad than Rusev, but it was a complete waste of The Bulgarian Brute nonetheless.
During the course of their storyline, Rusev had multiple matches with Big Cass (all of which were terrible) and enlisted the help of Jinder Mahal to help combat the NXT alumni. They ultimately wound up on the losing end of the feud.
Before "Handsome Rusev" (a short-lived gimmick where he sported a face mask due to a legitimate face injury) could catch fire, he was written off TV by Big Show at the Fastlane pay-per-view to undergo shoulder surgery.