Why didn't get Rusev go over Ryback?

[MartialHorror]

So Cena and Rusev have begun their feud, which is fine, but it's weird that WWE is going into this without building up Rusev as a real threat to Cena. He had his chance to shine against Reigns in the Rumble, but was eliminated as an afterthought... I expect 'hiding under the ring' from Miz, not the monster heel.

But even stranger, they didn't put Rusev over Ryback. Their feud didn't even seem to resolve. They had a match and Ryback won by count-out. I'd be fine with this if I felt WWE had long term plans for Ryback, but does anyone have a clue as to what Ryback's next program is? He challenged Rollins, but then Rowan and Ziggler came out, so I'm not sure if Rollins is going to feud with all three (even worse, Rollins and JJ security actually got the better of them, so Ryback looks worse). So Ryback doesn't really need to go over Rusev. He's not being primed as the next face of the company like Reigns is. While he has good reactions, he's not the darkhorse like Ziggler and Bryan are. He's not a heel. He doesn't seem interested in any of the belts. It's like WWE just wants him to settle in the midcard for now.

Rusev though is stepping up to challenge John Cena, the biggest star in the company. He needs to be the dominant force for Cena to likely overcome. And yet he couldn't beat Ryback and was punked by Roman Reigns. This feud doesn't feel like Rusev is stepping up as much as it feels like Cena is stepping down. This should be awesome. But it doesn't really make sense for Cena to go from fighting for the WHC to feuding with the U.S Champion. Is he even going for the belt?

I feel this feud is too early. They should've had Rusev go over Ryback at fast lane and maybe have him go over guys like Rowan, Ziggler, Jericho, Ambrose and maybe even get the WHC before taking on Cena. The only way this can work is if Rusev goes over Cena...which would be awesome. Cena doesn't need the victory, Rusev does. But...is this likely? Historically, no. I guess they can always have Rusev beat Ryback on a RAW to hype the feud.

But otherwise, I feel they're stalling Rusev. We don't really know if he has anything else going for him (long term) outside of his 'never been pinned, submitted' streak. I'm kind of worried that if they take that away too soon, it might derail Rusev's career. Prior to maybe the second Jack Swagger feud, Rusev is the only one whose booking has been consistently strong. I like how each feud seems to bring more and more out of him.

Edit: Oi, I keep botching the titles. I feel like the posting equivalent to Sin Cara.

 

[Mustang Sally]

All this might have to do with the constant shuffling of programs and people we keep reading about as per order of Vince McMahon. Rumor mills and wrestling news columns keep pointing to Vince changing things around, even as the live show is airing. The problem here is that when he switches something around, other things have to be changed to have it all make sense.

If he was doing this when everyone's position in the scheme of things was clear, what must be going through his mind now after watching the reception Roman Reigns got at the close of the Rumble? What about the fans wanting Daniel Bryan to be operating at the very top of the company despite Vince seemingly wanting to deemphasize Bryan's role (being pinned by Bray Wyatt? ) Does McMahon look to accommodate those unexpected reactions, or does he plow ahead with his original plans for guys like Reigns and Bryan?

And what about John Cena, anyway? Are his haters going to get their fondest wish and see him function in a WM31 match that doesn't figure in the title picture and not settle any particular issue? At present, given the "hard to figure" status of Rusev, this remains to be seen.

Rusev was doing a terrific job, being an anti-American heel who was winning his matches cleanly, building a terrific rep despite making fans hate him even while granting a grudging admiration. He was a bad guy you could really get behind.

Then came the aborted feud against Ryback. In the only official match I saw between them, Rusev lost by count-out......and now Ryback seems to be in Rusev's rear view mirror as he goes against Cena.

I thought last night's confrontation between Cena and Rusev was terrific; Cena was at his best on the mic....and Rusev did well, too. Maybe they can stir the pot sufficiently to make their WM31 battle something we really want to see.

Still, I'm starting to believe Vince McMahon and Creative are overcooking the product, curtailing some programs prematurely while bouncing performers to something else without rhyme or reason.

The Unfinished Symphony of Ryback vs. Rusev is a prime example.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The only thing that springs to mind is that they intend to use Rusev's feud with Cena to further elevate Rusev at this point. Even if Rusev comes out on the losing end of the feud, which I think is as close to a guarantee as you can get in wrestling, he'll probably still have a very strong showing.

As for Ryback, they can always come back to this feud a little bit later down the road. Once they use Cena to further establish Rusev, they'll probably move him up the card not too long afterward and, as a result, the program with Ryback could pick back up, Rusev drops the title to Ryback and moves on. Of course, if that's what happens, then some of the oomph will have been taken out of things since Cena is almost certainly going to be the first one pin Rusev or make him tap out. It's a minor accomplishment that could be a fairly big deal to someone already in the mid-card, but it doesn't even register as a blip on the radar for Cena.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

They're double dipping. Rusev needs somebody to drop the title to in the run up to Mania. My guess is Ryback wins it in a multi-man match aided by Cena so Rusev doesn't need to take the fall. Then Rusev can claim the title back after Cena has had his wicked way with him.

 

[Prince Vee]

Yeah there's a lot of problem with the creative and the story lines I guess. As far as we can see, they have no plans right now for Ryback or Dolph Ziggler or Daniel Bryan and Dean Ambrose. All they focus on now is Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt.

I think the above Faces should have a good feud with Barrett, Sheamus and Orton.

But I have no problem with the Rusve-Cena feud. The problem is for a 3 hour show and a 3 hour long PPV I just don't want some matches. I want real good feuds or storylines for at least 2 months or so!

Cheers!!

 

[rbv13]

The angle being dropped is actually a good move for Ryback. He would have been used as feeder for Rusev's build towards Cena. Now Ryback can remain a viable mid card threat and revisit a feud with Rusev later in the year. By that point Rusev might be elevated enough where it helps both get over.

 

[sanefan_har]

And what about John Cena, anyway? Are his haters going to get their fondest wish and see him function in a WM31 match that doesn't figure in the title picture and not settle any particular issue?

Well, I'm kind of disappointed. I thought you of all people would remember that Cena vs Wyatt at last year's Mania wasn't for the title. And as for a match not being used for settling any particular issue between 2 superstars, when has that ever happened in any match, unless it was a tournament for a championship, a jobber match, or a filler match between low-carders on a 3-hour Raw episode and Superstars? John Cena was never involved in any such match since the release of The Marine.

But back to the OP, I thought that promo of Ryback was the best one he had ever cut as a face or heel. To see that opportunity end in a match where the victory was due to count out was underwhelming. I guess the majority of the previous replies highlight Vince's frolicking with the booking consistency as a major factor. But Vince is right, what else would John Cena do at Fast Lane?

 

[George Steele's Barber]

There is still plenty of time for Rusev to get his win or wins over Ryback before his match with Cena. He has to have a fight with someone from now until Fast Lane. It is not like Jack Swagger is going to be running out every week to get his ass kicked again.

Or maybe that is what they will do every week until Fast Lane.

I would hold off on this assumption until Cena and Rusev really build things up a bit more.

 

[enviousdominous]

Why didn't Ryback go over Rusev?

I'm starting to reassess which performers I really care about, mainly because it seems like nearly everyone on the roster is building toward some kind of spectacular accomplishment that just never wants to actually happen.

Rusev being pinned will be big for whoever gets it, even if it's Cena. My best guess is that the WWE isn't ready to feature Ryback as a work-horse whose new gimmick is that he wins and the crowd is supposed to go wild every single time. On that note; I'm assuming that Rusev isn't considered to be ready for status as an unstoppable replacement for Brock Lesnar. Thus, they feud and nothing comes of it except the novelty of having brutes rub up against each other.

Rusev will probably be pinned by Cena as penance for Cena having to take his only squash loss by losing the belt to Lesnar. If Rusev is worth anything, his reputation afterward will depend on how endearing his performance ends up being in our memories. Either way, at least we'll be getting somewhere with that one as it'll end in a (hopefully decisive) pin.

Who's Ryback fighting again? Seth Rollins? Alright, whatever. That match definitely will NOT be ending in a decisive manner, neither will any of the many rematches until the feud ends due to lack of concern. Ryback doesn't lose clean, and Seth isn't about to let his momentum get wrecked by a guy with the athleticism of a tree.

 

[stonecoldstunner]

Because Ryback stinks. He can't wrestle, can't cut promos, and is jacked up on steroids. Yawn......Feed me less...of Ryback

 

[DZRR2015]

I think ryback should go on the win this years battle royal at wrestlemania (which I think should be a king of the ring battle royal) ryback wins that and becames King Ryback!!

Dolph ziggler should became a main event player go on to defeat Daniel Bryan at wrestlemania because Daniel dosent need the win he is already a wrestlemania main eventer so ziggler wins this and then wins the mitb contract at mitb ppv for the wwe whc then cashes it in at ss or TLC or even royal rumble

Erick Rowan he should just go back with the Wyatt family

 

[Im4Ryback]

Ryback is not the worst wrestler and had no right to be taken away from Rusev wwe should be ashamed of themselves, what is wwe thinking Ryback hasn't won at title in 2 and a half years and deserves to win one but wwe always seem to finish plans for Ryback pretty quick and don't give him much chance. He deserves better, FEED ME MORE.

 

[Im4Ryback]

Because Ryback stinks. He can't wrestle, can't cut promos, and is jacked up on steroids. Yawn......Feed me less...of Ryback

Shut up mate Ryback is not the worst wrestler and wwe had no right to take him away from feuding with Rusev he should hold a title and deserves to because he hasn't held one since arriving in wwe, every time he was in a title match we always knew who would win, I really thought theyr were going somewhere with that feud but now Ryback is just back to his old push all over again, the title would have given him much needed momentum. What was WWE thinking. FEED ME MORE. Come on Vince FEED RYBACK SOME MORE MOMENTUM AND A MUCH DESERVED TITLE REIGN.

 

[kadroan]

So Cena and Rusev have begun their feud, which is fine, but it's weird that WWE is going into this without building up Rusev as a real threat to Cena. He had his chance to shine against Reigns in the Rumble, but was eliminated as an afterthought... I expect 'hiding under the ring' from Miz, not the monster heel.

But even stranger, they didn't put Rusev over Ryback. Their feud didn't even seem to resolve. They had a match and Ryback won by count-out. I'd be fine with this if I felt WWE had long term plans for Ryback, but does anyone have a clue as to what Ryback's next program is? He challenged Rollins, but then Rowan and Ziggler came out, so I'm not sure if Rollins is going to feud with all three (even worse, Rollins and JJ security actually got the better of them, so Ryback looks worse). So Ryback doesn't really need to go over Rusev. He's not being primed as the next face of the company like Reigns is. While he has good reactions, he's not the darkhorse like Ziggler and Bryan are. He's not a heel. He doesn't seem interested in any of the belts. It's like WWE just wants him to settle in the midcard for now.

Rusev though is stepping up to challenge John Cena, the biggest star in the company. He needs to be the dominant force for Cena to likely overcome. And yet he couldn't beat Ryback and was punked by Roman Reigns. This feud doesn't feel like Rusev is stepping up as much as it feels like Cena is stepping down. This should be awesome. But it doesn't really make sense for Cena to go from fighting for the WHC to feuding with the U.S Champion. Is he even going for the belt?

I feel this feud is too early. They should've had Rusev go over Ryback at fast lane and maybe have him go over guys like Rowan, Ziggler, Jericho, Ambrose and maybe even get the WHC before taking on Cena. The only way this can work is if Rusev goes over Cena...which would be awesome. Cena doesn't need the victory, Rusev does. But...is this likely? Historically, no. I guess they can always have Rusev beat Ryback on a RAW to hype the feud.

But otherwise, I feel they're stalling Rusev. We don't really know if he has anything else going for him (long term) outside of his 'never been pinned, submitted' streak. I'm kind of worried that if they take that away too soon, it might derail Rusev's career. Prior to maybe the second Jack Swagger feud, Rusev is the only one whose booking has been consistently strong. I like how each feud seems to bring more and more out of him.

Edit: Oi, I keep botching the titles. I feel like the posting equivalent to Sin Cara.

WWE dropped the ball on Rusev/Ryback. They could have elevated the mid card. Ryback was being booked the way he should have been booked in 2012, the mid card.

Ryback vs. Rusev would have been the perfect WrestleMania match or even Fast Lane match. Had Ryback be the guy to beat Rusev at Fast Lane then have a rematch between the two at WrestleMania.

Hopefully if they go through with Cena vs. Rusev, the feud doesn't drag out too long.