5 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Dec 26)

2. It's a Rusev Day, Yes It Is!

Rusev Aiden English
WWE.com

It is happening again.

And if anybody should recognise it, it's Daniel Bryan.

Stood at the literal centre of it on Tuesday Night as he was every week between 2013 and 2014, Daniel Bryan must have noted the scale of the reactions heaped upon Rusev (and his able sidekick Aiden English) as Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin's protestations were interrupted.

The pop for 'The Bulgarian Brute's arrival was enormous, as was the sustained 'Rusev Day' chant that followed. A desperate plea for a long-ignored superstar wrapped up in an unexpectedly neat package, the latest groundswell of support for the former United States Champion has every hallmark of the 'Yes Movement' that carried Bryan all the way to WrestleMania against the wishes of the kayfabe and real authority figures.

Worryingly so, in fact. An electric response (just as the pair received at Clash Of Champions) was followed up by yet another loss. Defeats currently won't harm the popular pair too much, but the molten reactions won't last forever. 'Rusev Day' is indeed a happy accident for WWE at the moment, but unless audiences are given something to feed their passion soon, his potential Royal Rumble elimination could be just another transparent comparison point.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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