Kalisto Vs. Rusev Official For WWE Extreme Rules 2016
U.S. Championship match made for PPV.
Though many fans expected as much when Rusev won a number one contendership battle royal on Raw, WWE officially announced Monday that "The Bulgarian Brute" would challenge United States Champion Kalisto at Extreme Rules.
The announcement was made during a Facebook Live interview with the U.S. Champion, conducted by Tom Phillips. Kalisto was ringside on Raw last week when 16 men collided in an over-the-top rope contest to determine the next challenger to his title.
The bout came down to Zack Ryder, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, and Rusev, and although "Long Island Iced Z" was able to outlast two of the former League of Nations members, Rusev eventually dumped him to pick up the win. After the bout, Kalisto, who's been champion since the Royal Rumble, got face to face with his future opponent.
Extreme Rules won't be Rusev's first brush with the United States Championship. The then-undefeated "Super-Athlete" defeated Sheamus for the belt in November of 2014 in a special post-Raw WWE Network-exclusive match. He held onto the title until WrestleMania 31, where he suffered his first defeat, losing a marquee match to John Cena.