7 Ups And 9 Downs From WWE Extreme Rules 2018

2. Rusev Gets Cup Of Coffee

AJ Styles Rusev
WWE.com

Sorry for those hoping for a Happy Rusev Day, but there wasn’t much chance that the Bulgarian Brute was leaving Pittsburgh with the WWE Championship.

Still, Rusev had a nice title match with champion AJ Styles, hanging in there in his first world title bout and looking like a credible challenger, even if he was just the flavor of the month. An injured leg hampered him, especially when he went for the Accolade, and ultimately Styles nailed a springboard 450 splash and Phenomenal Forearm to retain the title.

Rusev might not sniff another title shot for a bit, but it was good to see him get the shot here. Every once in a while, a champ needs a “challenger of the month” to defend against, and if done correctly, it can make the opponent look more credible and boost his standing a bit. Hopefully, that’s the case here, as Rusev clearly has his fans and supporters in WWE.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.