Rusev has been virtually unstoppable since his main roster debut after last years WrestleMania. His Russian nationalist gimmick has made him a heat magnet, and he has proven that he can wrestle quite well in longer matches. Rusevs opponent at this years WrestleMania is John Cena. WWE have built this rivalry around the U.S. Championship, as well as on the idea that John Cenas time at the top of the company might finally be up. Whether thats true or not doesnt really matter; what does is that Rusev come out on top at WrestleMania. While some observers have noted that, since Cena lost at Fast Lane, hell be winning at WrestleMania, because sometimes WWE follow a predictable booking pattern. However, it doesnt have to be that way. Cena and Rusev appear to have good chemistry together, and Cenas ability to make a Superstar look like a bigger deal just by being in the ring with him will only benefit Rusev down the road. Rusev needs the win at WrestleMania to maintain his momentum. He needs the win because WWE needs another top bad guy for the fans to really be opposed to. Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins get cheered despite being heels, Triple H rarely wrestles outside of major events, and Stephanie McMahon tends to hide behind other active wrestlers. In other words, this years WrestleMania is a golden opportunity for WWE to build a new top heel. For that to happen, Rusev needs to defeat John Cena. It would come off as a shocking moment to the WWE Universe, and possibly increase viewer interest in this budding feud going forward.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
