11 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Dec 4)
Ups...
11. Rusev's Simple Promise
There wasn't much to Rusev and Lana's interview last night. When presented with a clip of Shinsuke Nakamura ambushing 'The Bulgarian Brute' last week, the big man claimed his Japanese foe was scared of him. After boasting about his muscles, Ru-Ru called himself 'strong, relentless, and hungry,' put the United States Championship over, and promised that once he gets his hands on Nak, he's going to 'feast on him on the greatest holiday of them all - Rusev Day.'
A short, snappy, straightforward diatribe, but an effective one. Wrestling needn't always be presented as an over-the-top, gimmick-laden carnival. Sometimes, all you need is a character with goals, motivations, and personality. Put said performer on a platform without rampant over-writing, and magic will inevitably happen. Simple.
It would've been nice to see a follow-up from Nakamura. WWE could've used the space wasted by The Miz and Shane McMahon to put this feud over the top, but regardless, Rusev's promo worked, and it's good to see the United States Title involved in an actual storyline again.