5 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Dec 26)
2. It's a Rusev Day, Yes It Is!
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.