Opinion
Is WWE Finally Ready For Rusev Day?
After winning a 5-man Gauntlet Match and pinning The Miz on Tuesday night, it looks like it’s time for Rusev to grab the main event spotlight. The Bulgarian Brute, who is over as one of the more popular performers on the company roster, will get a shot at A.J. Styles and the WWE Title at Extreme Rules.
It’s a long time coming for Rusev, who took the company by storm when he made his move to the main roster in 2014. Booked as a dominant heel in feuds with John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, and Roman Reigns, Rusev was the perfect fit as an anti-American wrestler who reminded many of villains of the past like Ivan and Nikita Koloff, Baron Von Raschke and The Iron Sheik.
Rusev is the first Bulgarian-born performer to crack WWE’s main roster.
WWE is doing the right thing by moving away from the Styles-Shinsuke Nakamura feud, concentrating on other rivalries heading toward SummerSlam and Survivor Series. Rusev is still booked as a heel wrestler, but his “Rusev Day” gimmick and his connection to his real-life wife Lana has made him an instant hit with WWE’s fan base.
It was only two month ago fans and the wrestling media were talking about the former United States champion leaving the company following WrestleMania 34 and an on again, off again match with The Undertaker at The Greatest Royal Rumble show in Saudi Arabia.
Rusev’s path to the main event has been skewed, much like many other heel wrestlers who were booked improperly during their careers. Nikita Koloff was one of the better heels of the late 1980s until he became a babyface after Magnum TA’s near-tragic accident. WWE booked Bray Wyatt as an unstoppable force upon his arrival, but his popularity with the fans softened his dominance. The same holds true for Braun Strowman, Kane and Undertaker and Sheamus upon his arrive on the main roster.
WWE must work double-time to promote this as Styles versus a rising superstar. It’s a feud opposite of the Styles-Nakamura confrontation where agility and history dictated one of the better stories told in some time. Rusev is big, strong, powerful and skilled as a beast. Styles is crafty, a ring technician and one of the smaller heavyweight champions of his generation.
Opposites attract, which is something WWE is counting on in this confrontation. Can Rusev reach the top of WWE’s mountain, or will he become another big man who grabs for the brass ring, only to be turned away? Will the company make this more than a one-match event? More importantly, does this kind of a feud capture the fans’ attention enough to divert attention from a Jeff Hardy-Nakamura feud for the United States Title?
The most important part of how this feud is booked is Rusev and his ability to sell the match and a feud with Styles, who he shook hands with after the Gauntlet match. WWE hopes it has struck lightning in a bottle with this confrontation. Fans hope they will see a superior main event at Extreme Rules.
Personally, I hope we see a change of champions, where we can finally say it’s “Rusev Day” and have it mean something more than just a catchphrase.
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Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
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Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
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