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Rusev returned to the WWE on the Raw after WrestleMania 41 and destroyed the Alpha Academy (Otis and Akira Tozawa) in the cruelest way possible. Many expected this to be the beginning of a dominant run for the star who was previously with the Stamford-based promotion from 2010 to 2020. However, over a month later, he is yet to make a major impact. In an exclusive interaction with Indiatimes, veteran writer Vince Russo called its second stint with the company ‘horrible’ and revealed why it is not working.
Vince Russo is not a fan of Rusev’s latest run with the WWE
Rusev has had merely two matches since returning to the WWE on the Raw after WrestleMania 41. In the first one, he beat Otis. The other one saw him squash Akira Tozawa in a matter of minutes. There was also a significant time gap in his matches against the lower midcard talents as the WWE relied on packaged promos to build an aura around the powerhouse. In them, the former Miro spoke about wanting to ‘redeem’ himself.
According to Vince Russo– a writer who worked with the WWE in the 90s– the promos are ‘meaningless’ and Rusev does not have a storyline to work with.
“(The run is) horrible. Nothing special. There is no story upon his return. Those vignettes are meaningless,” he told Indiatimes.
Rusev was paired with Lana, who later married him in real life in 2016, during his first run with the company. Lana acted as his manager and helped him generate heat through her caustic promos.
This established him as a bankable heel and paved the way for him to win the US title on three occasions. Russo feels that Lana’s absence too has detailed the second run even before it started.
“They needed him to come back with Lana. He's going to be just another name on the roster,” said the writer.
Interestingly, Lana too is currently with the WWE under a ‘Legends’ deal. As such, there is a possibility of her being paired with Rusev again.
What’s next for Rusev?
As seen on the latest episode of Raw, Rusev is likely to feud with Sheamus now that his rivalry with Otis and Akira is the rearview. The Irish brawler confronted ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ on the red brand this week and stopped him for doing some permanent damage to Akira. This may pave the way fore meatier feuds down the line
Roktim Rajpal is a Principal Digital Content Producer at Indiatimes. He has been an entertainment journalist for a decade. Roktim is a movie buff and specialises in covering South cinema and Bollywood. He also takes a keen interest in web series.
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