Newcomer Alexander Rusev is destined to be a star for WWE. He has received a great deal of hype since the turn of the calendar and has already begun tearing through competition on his way to the top of the business. Zack Ryder, Sin Cara, Xavier Woods and R-Truth have already felt the brunt of the Bulgarian Brute and more are likely to follow. With expectations for him high, working a feud with Punk could have helped speed along the learning process and at the same time, did a great deal to help fans perceive the agile and athletic Superstar as a top talent. Punk could have bumped around the ring for Rusev and made him look like a legitimate threat to any and all Superstars while, at the same time, teaching Rusev what it takes to be a top-flight performer in WWE. He could have taught him subtle nuances that help make the great stand apart from the good. Most importantly, he would have helped Rusev develop his storytelling between the ropes. With so much attention paid to teaching and developing, odds that the matches would be as good as possible would be slightly diminished. Still, like Rocky Balboa's war with Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, Punk could play the scrappy underdog to Rusev's destructive villain, Whether the feud had the same happy ending that the Sylvester Stallone film did or not would be a whole other question.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
