WWE has already made a mess of Rusev¡¯s return to the company, here¡¯s why
Rusev returned to the WWE on the Raw after WrestleMania 41 and destroyed Alpha Academy. Many expected this to mark the beginning of an eventful run. However, the booking has been underwhelming so far.
Rusev returned to the WWE on the Raw after WrestleMania 41 and destroyed the Alpha Academy. Many expected this to mark the beginning of another successful run for the ¡®Bulgarian Brute¡¯. Sadly, this hasn¡¯t happened so far. The Stamford-based promotion has failed to do justice to the hype surrounding Rusev, diluting the impact of his second stint with the company. Here are three mistakes committed by the WWE in its handling of Rusev that should have been avoided.
Unnecessarily competitive match first match
A few weeks ago, Rusev took on Otis¨C a lower midcard act) in what was his first match since returning to the company. Ideally, this should have been a short and one-sided affair with The Bulgarian star dominating his physically imposing foe. However, it ended up being a competitive contest in which Otis gave a good account of himself and even got the upper hand on him at several points. Rusev eventually got the win with The Accolade but his aura had been diluted.
Not making him appear in person every week
Rusev hasn¡¯t been seen on WWE programming since beating Otis a couple of weeks ago and his absence is not really helping the cause. The company is relying on video packages, highlighting his ¡®redeemer¡¯ avatar, to keep him in the public eye. Though well-packed, they feel predictable and repetitive. As a result of which the impact is not as strong as expected.
The futile feud with Akira Tozawa
Rusev is set to take on Akira Tozawa on Raw next week in what will be his second match in nearly a month. The Japanese star is an accomplished star in his own right but he can¡¯t really be considered an A-lister. As seen in his feud with Gunther, he is being projected as an enhancement talent.
This makes him an unworthy opponent for Rusev especially given the fact that the the former Miro faced off against top-tier stars such as John Cena and The Undertaker in his previous run. As such, the result of the impending match is unlikely to benefit Rusev in any way whatsoever.
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Roktim Rajpal is a Principal Digital Content Producer at Indiatimes. He has been an entertainment journalist for a decade. Roktim is a movie buff and specialises in covering South cinema and Bollywood. He also takes a keen interest in web series.
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