WWE Planning Rusev vs. Sheamus Feud Built Around Their Shared History (WWE News)
Ex-stablemates could turn into heated rivals on episodes of WWE Raw soon.
PWInsider Elite's latest report suggests that WWE's creative team is weighing up a possible program between Sheamus and Rusev. This would be the latter's first major feud since returning to the company in April, and it'd seem to be right up the Bulgarian's street.
Rusev seems fired up and raring to go since jumping back over from Tony Khan's AEW following a so-so near-five year stint as #AllElite. Meanwhile, Sheamus has experienced somewhat of a career renaissance as a hard-hitting babyface who works "bangers" aplenty - some of his bouts vs. Gunther, Drew McIntyre and others have been special.
It's important to note that PWInsider didn't confirm that such a rivalry was definitely on the cards, but it has been spoken about behind the scenes by WWE creative. They said "rumblings" had been heard as the writing staff chewed over whether or not Rusev vs. Sheamus would fly in 2025.
Such matches would guarantee physicality, and they'd be a fine use of both veterans throughout the summer months. What's more, Sheamus would surely be thrilled to put over his old pal and ready Rusev for some WWE title cracks later in the year.
Rusev returned with a bang on the 21 April edition of flagship show Raw. He attacked Alpha Acadamy to then set up a comeback win over Otis on the 5 May edition.
Both Sheamus & Rusev Were In League Of Nations
Previously, Sheamus and Rusev were key parts of the old League Of Nations faction alongside Alberto Del Rio and Wade Barrett. The group was comprised of international flavour (each member had his own t-shirt signifying their role in the stable), but they didn't actually experience that much success as a collective between November 2015-April 2016.
WWE moved on from the League quickly, and it was almost like nothing had happened. However, Sheamus and Rusev have been friends away from the cameras for years. The Irishman had Ru-Ru on his Celtic Warrior Workouts channel before his Bulgarian counterpart left for AEW in 2020, and various social media posts over the years show them sinking pints of Guinness or generally hanging out off the road.
That chemistry could come in handy if WWE chiefs fancy programming the pair together on screen in 2025. There's nothing to suggest that Sheamus vs. Rusev would tank on episodes of Raw or on major PLEs like SummerSlam. In fact, most fans would be right up for seeing such a combo do their thing with 15-20 minutes of ring time.
Watch this space.