7 Times WWE Ruined Rusev

2. A Pointless Flag Match With John Cena

That didn't matter to WWE when John Cena needed a quick opponent for Battleground last summer.

Following a switch to SmackDown and a few months of doing next-to-nothing other than demanding a WWE Title match, Rusev reignited his old rivalry with Cena and the pair set up an annoyingly patriotic flag match for the forthcoming pay-per-view. It was as if WWE suddenly forgot they'd spent the past few years tearing Rusev's credibility down.

Nobody took Rusev's chances against Cena seriously. He could wave that Bulgarian flag all he wanted, because, come crunch time, Cena was taking Old Glory up the steps at Battleground and acting as though he'd won another gruelling battle for Uncle Sam.

The end result? Rusev's very first feud on SmackDown made him look a mid card act punching above his weight. One month later, WWE would top it all off, with booking that must have had Rusev questioning why he continued to be so patient.