Rusev has been the victim of bad booking since the beginning of this year. Ever since losing the United States title to Roman Reigns, last year. He lost his mojo to a certain extent and luck did not favor him, as well. It caused him to go downwards in the food chain of the WWE roster.
He even missed this year’s Wrestlemania owing to a shoulder injury. Surgery was performed that sidelined him from the biggest event of the year alongside his wife, Lana. Afterward, both of them were drafted to Smackdown Live from Raw during the superstar shakeup.
The Bulgarian Brute appeared on numerous occasions to hint that he would be inserted into the WWE Championship picture upon return, but the plans were changed later. As a result, his comeback was delayed, and he did not receive any push, either.
Plus, in two consecutive PPVs during this summer, he suffered two successive losses against John Cena and Randy Orton. The latter one even defeated Rusev in just a few seconds at Summerslam which was a supposed burial the young heel superstar who does have a lot of potential.
The question is that what is in store for Rusev’s future on Smackdown Live, as of now. In recent times, he hinted to leave the WWE for a couple of times on Twitter which raised questions about his status.
The reports from The Wrestling Observer Newsletter have wiped out all the speculations, for now. According to the source, his feud with Randy Orton will be continued. These two are further going to have a big match at the Hell in a Cell PPV.
As seen on last week’s Smackdown, Rusev gave an interview at backstage stating that he plans to kill a legend. He was referring to Randy Orton who is also known as the legend killer. But, after so many years in the WWE, he became a legend, and Rusev is after him.
Apparently, last year’s Hell in a Cell marked the downwards direction in his career after he lost the match against Roman Reigns. It will be interesting whether he can pull off a victory against Orton to get back the momentum by his side.