WWE Royal Rumble 2017: 10 Potential Dark Horses
5. Rusev
Rusev is the man. A great power wrestler and a surprisingly entertaining talker, he might be the most complete performer that WWE have built from the ground-up this era. While current main eventers Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins built their reputations elsewhere, Rusev is a WWE system guy through and through, and he represents one of their developmental system’s greatest triumphs in recent years.
All that said, The Bulgarian Brute has been criminally underused recently. Having spent three months as Roman Reigns’ personal whipping boy, Rusev has transitioned into a crude feud with Enzo Amore & Big Cass that offers no hope of forward motion. If he wins, he stays in the same place, and if he loses, he falls further down the card. It’s a “no win” situation, and one WWE would do well to remove him from ASAP.
Rusev is potentially the biggest heel in the company. He’s one of few performers capable of drawing actual heat in 2016 (not the half cheers/half jeers reactions that greet most of WWE’s “heels”), and a fantastic wrestler. If WWE wanted, they could immediately push him as the biggest monster in the company, and it’s a shame that they haven’t yet. A Royal Rumble win would make everybody stand up and take notice, and thrust Rusev into the main event spot he richly deserves.