WWE SmackDown 5 Takeaways: Sami Zayn Enters Championship Picture

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4. Rusev Should Have Been in the United States Championship Tournament

No gimmick in the WWE has taken off faster than the Rusev Day gimmick has taken off over the past couple months.  The duo of Rusev and Aiden English has been arguably the most over duo in the WWE lately and consistently gets huge pops from every live crowd the duo performs in front of.

Rusev Day signs, shirts, and chants are present each and every week and sometimes even on shows Rusev and English aren’t on.  And lately, the duo has been building momentum in the ring as well and has been a prime factor in the SmackDown Tag Team Championship picture.  But last night saw another championship opportunity for Rusev Day.

In a first-round matchup against Xavier Woods of The New Day, English went one-on-one with Woods with the winner advancing to face Jinder Mahal in the semifinal round of the United States Championship tournament.  Woods ended up getting the win in a pretty solid match, however, Rusev got the short end of the situation.

It would have been better to see Rusev in the U.S. Championship tournament as well as English.  He is the most over he has been since joining the WWE and has been a proven U.S. Champion in the past.  Maybe Rusev and English will go back to the tag team title picture, but it seemed a bit odd that Rusev wasn’t included in the tournament last night.

Rusev Day has moved into 2018 and despite The Bulgarian Brute not getting a chance at the U.S. Championship tournament, he alongside The Shakespeare of Song should remain a big factor on Tuesday nights.