2017 WWE Superstar Shake-Up Ranked - From Worst To Best
9. Rusev
How to judge Rusev? On the one hand, 'The Bulgarian Brute' is up there with Luke Harper in terms of under-utilised superstars. The man from Plovdiv has the size, the talent, the ability, and the charisma to be an absolute megastar, yet WWE seems reluctant on using him in any way other than as a gatekeeper heel.
If you accept that Rusev’s current position is also his ceiling, then he has been a fine acquisition for SmackDown live. His feud with Randy Orton wasn’t an all-time classic, but it allowed Rusev to form a partnership with Aiden English that gives the 'Drama King' a chance to grow. Rusev is making those around him better.
The prevailing feeling is that he should be in a more prominent position though. Jinder Mahal’s WWE Championship run was boring at best, and it is easy to say that the same results (or even better ones) would have been achieved with Rusev as champion. With that in mind, its a thumbs up thumbs down sort of spot for the former United States Champion.