10 Ways To Book Kurt Angle's WWE Return
6. USA Vs. Russia
Professional wrestling promotions have been telling “USA vs. the world” stories for decades. As hokey it might seem these days, this trope is a vital part of wrestling history, and heels like The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff may have never risen to prominence without it.
It’s the easiest story in the world to tell, and guaranteed heat, even today. The evil foreign boogeyman runs roughshod through the company, ripping into America at every opportunity, before an almighty patriot steps up to put an end to the rampage. We’ve seen it dozens of times before, and we’ll likely see it dozens of times again.
Rusev and Lana still lean on their anti-USA rhetoric today, but nowhere near as heavily as they used to. Rusev’s initial run was all about slapping red, white, and blue superstars around until he was eventually put down by John Cena, and while WWE were wise to tone down this aspect of his character, it’s worth reviving for a potential feud with Kurt Angle.
Nickname aside, Angle is the ultimate American hero. Few wrestlers embody the American dream quite like the Olympic gold medalist, and having proudly represented his country through his entire combat sports career, he’d be a great foil for Rusev. A match between the two would be tremendously entertaining, and a win would be an excellent way to re-establish Rusev as one of WWE’s premier heels, particularly in the wake of his horrendous feud with Enzo Amore & Big Cass.