10 Wrestlers That Have Suffered Since WWE WrestleMania 35

2. Rusev

Rusev Lana
WWE

Rusev's recent Raw return felt several lifetimes removed from his WrestleMania 35 appearance alongside Shinsuke Nakamura, but his summer disappearance shouldn't have been paid off by such a pathetic return.

It's not as though the ill-matched and ill-conceived pair were doing a great deal either side of the 'Show Of Shows', but a distinct lack of interest then should have foreshadowed how the rest of the year would ultimately play out for a man once kept undefeated for nearly an entire year on the main roster.

This is not the Rusev that once looked like a serious contender to John Cena. This isn't even the Rusev that was over as a f*ck with Aiden English. This simply isn't Rusev Day.

'The Bulgarian Brute' might well be finished in WWE if they thought so little of him that this was their main idea for his long-awaited comeback, but that disinterest won't magically sever a bond he's built (and rebuilt) with the audience over the past several years.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett