10 Wrestlers WWE Have Wasted Since WrestleMania 33

If insider reports are to be believed, it was basically a straight choice between Rusev and Jinder Mahal as the man to take on the mantle of SmackDown's top heel in the aftermath of WrestleMania 33.

In the end, they opted for Jinder. It was a decision that meant Rusev - back after a lengthy injury lay-off - was stuck languishing in the mid-card for the lion's share of a year which ended with him tagging with Aiden English of all people.

Any popularity surge that the Bulgarian Brute might have experienced since - he has purportedly become WWE's biggest merchandise seller over recent months - seems to be purely accidental; the result, more than anything else, of his excellent use of Twitter.

This can't have escaped the attention of the company's creative team, but there are few signs yet that they are prepared to capitalise on it inside the squared circle. He's still stuck in the lower-end of the mid-card, seemingly without any designs on AJ Styles' WWE Title.