We learned this year that the big foreign heel still can be a successful character in 2014, thanks to Rusev and Lana. It took a little bit of time, but the Bulgarian Brute and the Ravishing Russian have become a reliable source of heat. Rusev has mowed down several notable competitors in his push to the U.S. Championship: Big E, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry, Big Show and Sheamus. He and Lana got to verbally spar with the Rock in Brooklyn, which even though they ended up on the short end of the stick, it still was a high-profile segment. Now Rusev is feuding with Ryback, and rumors have been circulating for a while that hes being built up for a WrestleMania match against John Cena. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9xgKgffQlc While it hasnt always been smooth sailing, seeing WWE remain committed to Rusev is a welcome sight.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
