Don't Ruin Rusev

[Mustang Sally]

WWE Creative shouldn’t ‘humanize’ Rusev. They shouldn’t soften him in any way. The guy should remain the ultimate loner……he shouldn’t be making nice with allies or enemies, he shouldn’t be in tag teams with others and he shouldn’t be cooperating with anyone in any way.

Why?

Because ‘alone & apart’ is the way he entered WWE and the manner he functioned until he first started losing matches. Before that, he was truly unique: a bad guy who wrestled scientifically. Until he first tasted defeat, he didn’t even use punches or dirty tactics in his repertoire; instead, he systematically broke down opponents using technical moves designed to debilitate and destroy. Wrestling purists should love this guy; he’s the very definition of superior ring work without the flash most wrestlers employ today.

One exception: Rusev’s women. Since women are obviously superior to men in every way it figures they are able to appeal to Rusev's inner man. His soft spot for Summer Rae and Lana has made him a more complex character. He defends them, he has issues with them; that’s all fine…….but even as he interacts with them, Rusev should be functioning apart from everyone else.

His current alliance with the League of Nations is interesting, but it compromises Rusev’s character. When he smiles at them, pats them on the back and embraces them, he’s going against his ‘loner’ persona, and in my opinion, this takes away from what makes Rusev different from every other wrestler. He's the ultimate singles performer and should keep away from group efforts.

Rusev was at his most dangerous in his first months with WWE, methodically destroying everyone put in front of him…….including John Cena in their first match….. and needing no one but Lana to carry out his singular mission.

That’s when he was at his best, and if they keep him doing that, I believe he can be a main event attraction for years to come.

 

[chicagokmc]

Your formula was followed almost to the letter (substitute woman with Heyman) by Brock Lesnar. Ultimate loner, mowed through everyone. Problem is, when wrestlers are that dominant fans start cheering them. Same thing happened with the Shield. Once you are cheered to much, Vince & co. will face turn him. And that means he wouldn't be able to just mow through people because that isn't how WWE books faces.

 

[CyberPunk]

Here's the problem with WWE right now: they can't keep a story straight. Here's another problem with WWE right now: once someone feuds with John Cena, he's doomed. This is not Cena's fault though. Cena is the man, the top dog in WWE. Once you feud with him, creative just can't seem to figure out how to write that character further. When Rusev lost to Cena, he should've turned angrier. Instead, they ran that horrible love triangle/quadrangle/whateverthehellitwas angle. Injury didn't help him either.

This brings me to another problem with WWE: they lose interest in a superstar very quickly. They can't seem to get their act together once someone is shelfed, especially if that someone was never part of their grand plan. All the creative juices flow towards Reigns these days, so League of Nations actually gives Rusev to do something. Otherwise, he'll be lost in the shuffle.

God knows if engagement with Lana affected him any way.

 

[WrasslinPittsburgh]

Shes the brain and hes the brawn. such a simple concept. There is no way to fuck that up but they are pretty close to doing it. She should be getting involved more in matches. Plus the fact that they completely ignored his abuse of her for months is mind boggling. Now they are all lovey dovey. Shouldnt she have him by the balls and telling him dont even dare treat me that way again

 

[MartialHorror]

To me, Rusev joining the League makes no sense. He joined the Authority- a much more powerful stable that created opportunities for Rusev- very reluctantly. Sheamus should be concerned that Rusev would eye his Title, as it wasn't THAT long ago Rusev defeated Sheamus for...Alberto Del Rio's current Title...This seems like an implosion waiting to happen. But...oi, WWE doesn't care about continuity, even if this stuff happened around a year ago...or less...

But I agree. Hopefully Rusev at least partially changes back to his former self, as I thought his antics were too broad to the point of being silly after Lana left him. He was actually once one of my favorite characters/performers, but I stopped caring after he became a stereotypical, cartoonish caricature.

 

[Navi]

I have to agree with Sally here. I always thought he was the lone wolf out there doing his own thing. Anti-American propaganda aside, I was always worried about what would happen to him down the road.

You can only go on a winning streak for so long, and then it all comes crashing down. Instead of trying to build him back up to where he was, he got involved in "As The Stomach Turns". Terrible story line and didn't suit him at all. But I have a feeling they just didn't know what to do with him after the feud with Cena.

So you have this unbeatable monster, who loses his first match, his girl all in one fell swoop. Well he has his girl back, and hopefully they can build him back up again. Quite honestly I see him being the first member of the LON to depart the group.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

I don't mind Rusev joining the League of Nations, not yet that is.

I would like the League to be more like an alliance and less like a stable/faction. And yes there's a difference between alliances and factions. A faction, is a team that requires a leader. All members are there to help their leader only. Examples are the Wyatts and Evolution.
In an alliance, all members are seen as equal and the alliance is only formed because they have a common goal. This also helps each member of the alliance to continue his singles career normally.

Which means that Rusev can continue being the Bulgarian Brute. Each member of the alliance wil help each other out, as heels, and all of them would be elevated. That's how alliances work.

If the WWE play the LON storyline correctly, neither member of the faction will suffer and either will Rusev.

So to sum up, Rusev can continue his singles career, only that he will also have some friends by his side.

 

[Mustang Sally]

God knows if engagement with Lana affected him any way.

It adds depth to his character. Obviously, he had to grow from his introductory period. Then, he was a single-minded monster, intent only on destroying his opponent.....and seemingly controlled by Lana, who was cast as a Russian authority figure. Remember how he had to get the nod from her before going up to the ring? She didn't involve herself in his matches, except to shout instructions from ringside.

Rusev couldn't continue that way forever. Although many of today's fans see themselves as wrestling purists, they have no patience to watch a skillfully fought tactical battle. They like the fireworks better, so the Rusev-Lana relationship was expanded to a personal level. Soon, she was tossing her shoes into the ring to distract Rusev' foes......and getting knocked on her keister a few times.

What I particularly like is the way WWE Creative has taken Lana's real-life heat from having announced her engagement to Rusev.....and incorporated it into the storyline. That's rolling with the punches.

I want Rusev to fight like a monster but soften at the sight of Lana. Did you see her last night on Smackdown? She was dressed 'softer' than when she used to accompany him to the ring, looking like a flight attendant for Lufthansa. Last night, her make-up and hairstyle were less severe, and she looked beautiful.

Their interaction can be only good for him.

 

[OYDK]

I feel like Rusev is towing a line in WWE right now. Apart from being a big, intimidating brute, he's also shown a sense of humor and charisma that, quite frankly, has surprised me a lot. Try to remember just how green Rusev was upon his debut, on the mic AND in the ring and compare that to now. It's apples to oranges. However, this may actually work against Rusev. We've seen how WWE, over the years, has just loved to turn their originally monstrous wrestlers, into kid-friendly "jokes", for lack of a better word. Once these guys show that they can actually interact with the audience, they become something to laugh at; see Big Show, Kane, Koslov, Heidenreich, etc. it's just what WWE does, and I see Rusev starting to head in that direction unfortunately.

Which is why Sally is right. I think it's completely fine for Rusev to show concern and affection towards Lana, his fiance, because that adds good depth to his character. He can't always just be the destroyer who squashes his opponents. But it should be just those two. When Rusev cut the promo on Miz TV about still being a monster and a super-athlete I was thinking that he was headed back on the right path. But than they threw him in the LON and made him subservient to Sheamus... yeah real monster.

He seems to be able to handle everything on his own, why does he need to be in a group?

 

[NatureBoy3:14]

Lead Ivan Draggo or Clubber "humanized" in the Rocky movies. Nope. That's what made them awesome villians. They were monsters. They were machines built on destruction. Rusevs character died the moment minute he jobbed to Cena. Sorry that's the truth. Now he is smiling and making out with Lana on TV. it was really uncomfortable to watch. There ain't no coming back. It's a wrap. The league a nations is a vehicle for one person to get over. They mite as well call themselves the Dungeon of Doom. This is built for Roamn to get over that's it. No one else.Mark my words: No one is going to look good after this ends. Wade, Rusev, and sadly ADR will look like a bunch of jabroni's after Roman gives them the Nexus treatment. You guys can have faith in creative all you want. I'm going to look to history. And history says they all will look pretty sad after Roman reigns beats them in a one on five match or something equal dumb. I was excited to see Rusev on Raw when he kicked Roman in the face. I marked a little. I'm actually a fan of pre Jon Cena Rusev. But with the whole faction losing to Roman on Smackdown, the Miz segment, and the crap interview with Cole I'm done and feel sorry for the guy because he has so much potential. But now he looks like a schmuck. Sorry that's just the way I feel. Feel free to bash me����