A "YES Movement" for a generation of fans that simply couldn't be a*sed to fight anymore, Rusev Day was a fudged phenomenon for WWE, but hugely enjoyable at the peak of its powers.
Alongside Aiden English, the 'Bulgarian Brute' proved yet again that he's infinitely preferable bouncing off another character than going at it alone. In this case, the former Vaudevillain acting as his doting cheerleader triggered huge t-shirt sales, a weekly running gag, and a push that should have gone further than various secondary title losses on pay-per-views.
Nearly a case of what could have been rather than what it actually was, the journey ultimately proved better than the final destination.
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
