WWE Royal Rumble: 10 Potential Winners of the Men’s Rumble

Credit: WWE.com

Rusev

Something something bad booking and poorly timed injuries. I don’t think I need to repeat myself on that one at this point. There’s perhaps no bigger example of WWE missing when it comes to one of their most over superstars than the year that Rusev has had. With the exception of a few failed championship opportunities at down periods during 2018, the man for whom Rusev Day is named has struggled to fulfill his potential this year.

Rusev Day became one of the most beloved catchphrases in the past few years, and Rusev rode that wave to become almost universally beloved by fans. Instead of WWE capitalizing on that momentum and putting a championship around his waist we’ve instead seen moments like Aiden English getting jealous and trying to pretend Lana had an affair with him. It’s a real shame for a superstar that’s had so much promise throughout his career.

Rusev actually made his main roster debut in the 2014 Royal Rumble match. Rusev entered at number six and lasted just over seven minutes before being eliminated by the quartet of CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, and Seth Rollins. There were hype videos for Rusev and his manager, “The Ravishing Russian” Lana, for several months before debuting on Raw in a winning effort over Zack Ryder. It was the start of an impressive undefeated streak that led to his first time capturing the United States Championship.

Rusev successfully defended the belt against John Cena at Fastlane in 2015, but lost the title to him at WrestleMania 31 only weeks later. It was his first pinfall loss on the main roster, and was the end of Rusev’s dominance. While he’s had some bright spots along the way, he’s struggled to have the same kind of run in the following years. Since the creation of Rusev Day, “The Bulgarian Brute” has been as over with the fans as ever, and now is the perfect time for him to win the Royal Rumble on Rusev Day!