Things were going swimmingly for Rusev earlier in 2015. Management seemed interested in portraying the Bulgarian as a top heel on the main roster, and this was reflected by his WWE United States Title victory over John Cena at Fast Lane. By retaining the title against such a top star, Rusev looked strong. He was aided by having the visually stunning Lana with him, someone who also handled most of his promos. At WrestleMania, he fell to Cena, but that wasn't the biggest problem in the world. Further matches against Cena were entertaining, and there were high hopes that Rusev would transition out of the feud and into something else meaningful. That didn't happen, WWE didn't seem to have many ideas for the guy once the Cena rivalry was brought to a close after Payback. An injury kept him out of Elimination Chamber, and helped spiral Rusev into a storyline which unfortunately dominated his Summer. Dolph Ziggler was brought into the picture, romancing Lana. Fans didn't enjoy the angle, especially when Rusev enlisted Summer Rae. Since then, Rusev has been mired in feuds against the likes of Ryback, struggling to get his mojo back.
