NXT's Alexander Rusev Debuts in the Royal Rumble Match

[Uncle Sam]

To be prove that I'm not a bald-faced liar, here's a picture of Alexander Rusev cradling Kofi Kingston with all the care of a new mother:

For those that don't watch NXT - you should - Rusev's gimmick is that he's a Bulgarian bloke that kicks the shit out of people. And sometimes they mention he wants to be remembered and have monuments built in his likeness. By kicking the shit out of people. He has new ring attire and new theme music. Big fan of the theme, less of the attire.

Tastycles quotes after he saw me pointing and clapping at the TV like a deaf mute when Rusev came out:

"He's actually quite good. Look at how big he is and what he's doing."

"He's not wearing any shoes!"

"Is he actually Bulgarian?"

As it turns out, he is actually Bulgarian. Presumably, Bulgarians don't wear shoes. That's the Middle East for you.

 

[Tom]

It was good see him enter. I've not watched much of him in NXT so when I heard he was coming to the main roster, it didn't phase me. I was put off by his gimmick and his annoying as hell manager. He looked impressive in the Rumble, and enjoyed eveything he did in it. They made him look strong and powerful but not too much which was perfect (I wish I could say that about the actual PPV). I hope he actually gets a main roster run, unlike Bo Dallas did last year. I just wish we knew he was going to be in the Rumble, by doing a battle royal of NXT superstars like they did last year, or a tournament on the NXT show.

As it turns out, he is actually Bulgarian. Presumably, Bulgarians don't wear shoes. That's the Middle East for you.

Bulgaria is a European country by the way.

 

[Trill Co$by]

I don't see much coming from this. If anything, he'll just be like Bo Dallas and be back on NXT before we realize it. I'm not saying that Rusev isn't TV worthy, but I mean come on now, the guy's not been doing much on NXT lately other than beating down Kofi Kingston and Xavier Wood.

If he is called to the main roster, I hope they get rid of that broad that comes out with him. Who knows, maybe they can work him into being Kane's new hired assassin and put him with someone like CM Punk.

 

[rge2010]

Bulgaria is a European country by the way.

Correct. I think the OP probably mean't 'Eastern European'

This guy looks great in my opinion. Sadly he will probably be another Kozlov.

 

[Randy Orton's Head Blood]

This was one of my Rumble highlights. He looked pretty good in the ring last night, without eliminating anyone in his time there. His "beast" nature was exposed when we saw that it took 4 superstars to eliminate him. It's a shame that he didn't get as much time as I would've liked. It's also a shame that no other NXT Stars debuted, but I'm still happy with Rusev's stint last night.

Last but not least, the whole thing with him going shoeless reminds me somewhat of Umaga. I hope that he'll get a good run & be able to prove what he can do.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

I like his new gear and bah gawd the man is quick on his feet. I hope he makes the switch to the roster WITH his valet though. She is pivotal.


Was a good outing for the lad and I see good things for him as long as he works out with Triple H from time to time in the gym.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

Bulgaria is a European country by the way.

Tom, meet Sam.

Rusev lasted from number 6 up until between the 9th and 10th entrants. That's like... 5 minutes or so. Not much as a number, but he made the time count. I have seen Rusev once before and liked what I saw and was glad to see him being fearless when he was actually in the ring. He went after anyone there, including Punk, going from a virtual unknown to a memorable participant.

Here's to more in the future. Fuck load better than Bo Dallas' rumble participation.

 

[rbv13]

I am a fan of his NXT work and was looking forward to his main roster debut but his participation in the Rumble match left a lot to be desired. The announcers put over his impressive power, and he showed a bit of it, but it looks as if he botched a few elimination attempts leaving him with zero. If you are counting at home that is one less than El Torito. Debuting at the Rumble is a tough task, especially when there is zero hype. I wish they would have held off in this. Actually I hope they keep him in NXT until the weeks following WM. This is a bad time of year to get a call up as it is easy to get lost in the shuffle. The best time is post WM when they start trimming the fat on the main roster.

I do like the idea, already stated, of pairing him with Kane against CM Punk. This would have actually been a positive way to debut him at the Rumble. Kane’s music goes off but as he is on his way to the ring he stops and points behind him as Rusve makes his way into the arena.

 

[The Eighties]

Rusev was one of the very few highlights of the Rumble. I think he has a lot of potential and the change up in his gear to something more sporty than his Barbarian style gear is a good choice. He did well with the five minutes he got but I honestly don't think coming up to the roster full time right now is a good idea for him as he will get lost during Mania season.

 

[kadroan]

I look forward to watching him more. I just hope they don't feed him jobbers like they did Ryback when he first came in. Give him a legit storyline.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

I'm glad they changed his gear, and got rid of the loincloth or whatever the hell he was wearing in NXT.

 

[MCMG]

I thought Rusev looked pretty awesome. He has a great look and, as shown on NXT, can work a decent match.

Whether or not he can be a success is difficult. Unfortunately, he may easily become "angry foreign guy" and this falls to pieces. Hopefully it won't which is why he needs a decent manager.