WWE SmackDown Live: Rusev Day Break Up Benefits Nobody

Rusev Day broke up for good on WWE SmackDown Live last night. The split has apparently triggered Aiden English’s heel turn and possibly Rusev’s much awaited  — and finally official — face turn. But a lack timing will potentially doom both superstars.

When Rusev was randomly paired with Aiden English last year, many of us were left scratching our heads. It was an odd pairing. But then came the infamous ‘Rusev Day’ chants along with the pairing and slowly, the Bulgarian Brute and Lion of Bulgaria transitioned into one of the funniest performers in the WWE, alongside The Shakespeare of Song.

English, too, was lingering around without purpose or direction following the breakup of the Vaudevillains, as Simon Gotch had been released from the WWE. As weeks passed by, Rusev Day chants grew louder and louder, almost forcing the WWE to genuinely think about pushing the beloved wrestler to the forefront of SmackDown main event scene.

But rather than excel as a singles star, Rusev began competing alongside English as a tag team, with Lana by their side. Though they failed to capture the gold, the team created many memorable moments as a duo and defeated the best that Tuesday nights had to offer. However, all good things must come to an end, and last night, after losing out to Shinsuke Nakamura, Rusev Day officially split up. English lost his cool for some reason and attacked Rusev out of the blue, without much provocation.

Everyone was expecting Rusev to ditch English at some point in time. But nobody was expecting this to happen, and certainly not last night. This move has potentially triggered a babyface run for Rusev finally. The Bulgarian Brute has been cheered on like a babyface by the entire WWE Universe. However, this might be the first time that creative has given him the real babyface treatment (getting attacked from behind and taking a beating from a former friend).

Be as it may, it is worrying to note that the end of Rusev Day might not do much good for anyone. It couldn’t have come at a worse time to be honest. English is potentially doomed to revert back to lack of relevance once this feud with Rusev and Lana eventually wraps up. Unless he pairs up with another superstar, that is. Rusev, on the other hand, can do much more, but will he?

The SmackDown Live roster is filled to the brim with quality babyfaces who are waiting for a shot at glory. Take Daniel Bryan for example. The beloved babyface is yet to move on to the WWE title picture since coming out of retirement, though he has the chance to earn a title shot at Super Show-Down. Jeff Hardy (who might not show up for a while, thanks to Randy Orton) also has the popularity of a top star, but not the elite level of booking.

Can a babyface Rusev find his place among these top names and established veterans? I can see him taking on Shinsuke Nakamura for the United States title perhaps once more, only to be screwed out of a deserving victory by English. This would establish their feud and could ultimately culminate in Rusev going over.

But then what next? He might contend for the WWE title once or even a more than once, in multi-man matches. But at the moment, he can’t make it to the gold with so many other established stars waiting for their shot. To conclude, Rusev will merely be doing what he did as a tag team performer alongside English. If that is indeed what is to come, they might have as well kept the team going until they have a run with the titles.