Rusev is back on WWE TV: Five feuds for The Bulgarian Brute

Aleister Black

Aleister Black was an exciting member of the NXT roster, but hasn’t been featured much since his call up to the main roster in February of this year. He’s one of the many performers that have fallen off the map, and a key example of how some talent is being misused.

There was some excitement around the match that he had with Cesaro at Extreme Rules and they delivered with an intense, hard hitting match. After that, Black did exactly what he didn’t want to do, and he faded into the background.

With Rusev’s return, it would be interesting if these two were set on a path against each other in the ring.

This is yet another mid card feud that could build both men, even though one of them would have to go over in the end.

One great thing about the end of the Wild Card rule and the upcoming draft is that new angles can be built once the rosters are solidified. Black and Rusev do not need a major storyline around them to begin, but WWE Creative could build this rivalry out of pure competition; much like the Booker T versus Chris Benoit series from decades ago that elevated both men on the WCW roster.

Rusev versus Black is a hard-hitting affair. On one side there’s Black’s striking-first style against a grappler of sorts in Rusev. The in-ring work between the two would be a good change of pace from who they’ve been booked with in the past, and that could create some strong performances from both men.

Also, Rusev’s ability to get his character is not underrated, but has been under-appreciated within the WWE; clearly seen within his de-push as he got the phrase “Rusev Day” over to huge proportions back in 2017 through 2018. Black has struggled to get over as a character, and there’s an opportunity to work on that by booking him against Rusev at this time.