10 Ways To Repackage WWE's Struggling Wrestlers
3. Rusev: Wrestling Machine
It's almost impossible not to appreciate what Rusev brings to the table. He's an outstanding all-round performer who has been served a boatload of terrible ideas over the past few years, but usually does everything in his power to make them enjoyable. This isn't always possible, but there's no doubting the man's effort, and his quality usually shines through.
His latest return to WWE television hasn't been handled well, and after labouring through another dumb USA vs. the world program with John Cena, Rusev has now been given a go-nowhere feud with Randy Orton.
'The Bulgarian Brute' is at his most enjoyable without the jingoism. He should never be thrown into another anti-USA storyline, and ideally, a repackaging would see the last vestiges of his nationalism stripped away.
Instead of this, WWE should push him on the strength of his ring work, using exhibitions like his recent match with Chad Gable to get him over. Rusev is undoubtedly skilled enough to pull a 'wrestling machine' gimmick off, and if he can adopt some of the gym class bully traits that made Kurt Angle such a great heel back in the day, this repackaging could be the spark that ignites Rusev's career revival.