Rusev Can Be the Monster Heel WWE Needs

Rusev could be in a position to be WWE’s monster heel.

It’s something that has long been a staple of WWE and wrestling in general. A big guy who’s a monster, that becomes an unstoppable force and destroys your roster, before being beaten by the underdog baby face. The fact that a lot of these men were also foreigners or natives who pledge allegiance to a foreign nation, only helped to build them up as hated figures, who the crowd couldn’t wait to see get beaten. Rusev is just the man to build up as an unstoppable monster once again.

Most recently Rusev has been a part of the ill-fated League of Nations. Alongside Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, and Wade Barrett, they were meant to be the dastardly foreigners that everyone hated. After a while they outlived their usefulness as a heel faction, Barrett was kicked out, and the three remaining members of the team broke up after accusing each other of abandoning the others. It was an idea that could have been fantastic, but never really reached the heights that it could, and probably should, have reached.

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With the faction now ended it looks like Rusev may be in line for a decent push as a solo performer, with the “Ravishing Russian” Lana back in his corner, the skies the limit for Rusev. On this past Mondays episode of Raw, Rusev won a Battle Royal to determine the next challenger to the United States Championship held by Kalisto. That match will take place at Extreme Rules in a few weeks time, but between now and then, Rusev can become his former Russian sympathiser self, and take over the heel ranks of WWE.

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Some of the greatest heels in the history of the WWE have played up to the “I’m a foreigner, I hate America, I’m better than you all” stereotype. It’s worked remarkably well in the past, with men like The Iron Shiek, Nikolai Volkoff, and Yokozuna, and it can work again with Rusev. During his previous feud with John Cena, Rusev played the character to perfection. From having the Russian flag fall from the ceiling to the use of the Accolade (Camel Clutch) submission to having Lana talk as a mouthpiece for him.

The easiest way to draw the ire of the WWE Universe would be to tell them how they are worthless, and how Rusev is so superior to them because he isn’t an American. Right now WWE could use a super hot heel. When you look at the heels that the company currently has it’s slim pickings. The Miz is a Hollywood superstar that the fans are mostly indifferent to. Sheamus gains more heat for the way he looks than the fact he’s a heelish character.

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Baron Corbin is a kind of cocky biker but his heelish tendencies come in the form of being a big powerful guy. Chris Jericho is the pissed off veteran who can’t stand to see other people doing better than him. The one really successful heel is Kevin Owens, but for how over he is, he may as well be a baby face. There is only one man who can tick all the boxes for the uber heel and that most definitely is Rusev.

In the next few weeks, Rusev needs to get back to those things that made him so dominant. He needs to squash several men in various matches. He needs to use the Accolade to defeat them, and when he’s won not let go of the hold. He needs to have Lana trash the fans and America on the microphone. He needs to attack Kalisto after his matches and even put the champions participation in the title match into doubt.

When Rusev was facing the ultra-American John Cena in the build up to and at WrestleMania 31, he became one of the best performers in the entire WWE. He is more than capable of getting back to those levels of performance, he just needs the WWE to get behind him as the monstrous foreigner and not make him a comedy guy who scares nobody.

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