“The Bulgarian Brute”, the “Hero of the Russian Federation”, it doesn’t matter what moniker he chooses, through it all, the message that remains constant: Rusev is a force to be reckoned with.
Bursting onto the main roster scene in 2014, alongside the “Ravishing Russian” Lana, Rusev’s presence was felt right away. His matches were short and predictable, consisting mostly of squashes of lower to mid-level talent, but it was clear that Rusev had something that the WWE liked, and they continued to push him for the entire year all the way to Wrestlemania 31 earlier this year.
“Squash matches”, (matches in which one wrestler easily defeats/crushes another), are a great way to build mystique around a big man, while also allowing him to develop his ring skills behind the scenes. The matches are kept short in order to prevent exposing a lack of in-ring talent, while the viewers and fans are left wondering who will be able to “stop” the seemingly indestructible monster.
This formula, while effective, is not sustainable in the long run and will usually build to a longer match in which the “monster” will still win, but have to look good in order to stay on his run and continue getting his “push”. This match came for Rusev at SummerSlam 2014 last August in a flag match against Jack Swagger. The match itself was not perfect, but clocking in at just under 15 minutes, Rusev was able to prove that he could look vulnerable and he showed good mobility for a big man.
His move-set consisted mostly of knees and kicks, drawing from his legitimate Muay-Thai background, but he also showed that he could tell a story in the ring, never breaking character. He was every bit the menacing foreign villain that he was supposed to be. Showing that he could hold his own between the ropes, Rusev apparently had one large obstacle left to overcome… Learning to speak English.
Throughout 2014, Rusev only occasionally spoke on the mic, and when he did, he spoke mostly Bulgarian and Russian. His manager Lana, american actress CJ Perry, did most of his talking for him.
Lana was golden, and definitely key to Rusev’s success in the early stages of his main roster career in the WWE. However, it’s always been clear that Vince and company had other long-term plans for CJ Perry and eventually Rusev would have to stand on his own and speak for himself if he wanted to make it as a WWE Superstar.
Rusev finally got that opportunity on one of the WWE’s lesser viewed programs, “Main Event”, on October 14, 2014. The following was his promo, verbatim:
“… And Big Show, you would be the stinking ANUS!! Big Show, next time I meet you, I gonna turn you inside out. That’s how you gonna talk through your anus, and SPEAK through your anus!!”
He then switched to his native tongue, and proceeded to say something that I can only imagine translated to, “Anus, anus, anus, Rusev matchka ….. Anus!!”
English 1 – Rusev 0
A lot has changed in the last few months. Rusev is now standing on his own. His matches are fun to watch and much less predictable. His acting in the love triangle storyline with Dolph Ziggler and Lana has been superb. He’s proven that he can be a relevant Superstar for years to come. And, in my opinion, he’s opened doors for himself to possibly work in the film industry if he chooses to do so in the future.
He’d make a great villain…. As long as he never uses the word ‘anus’, again…. ever.
– ‘Cause StunSeed said so
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