The Curious Case of Alexander Rusev

[waylonmercy]

Do not get too excited about Rusev...

The shelf life for "foreign monsters"- is about a year.

They come and quickly fade. Why?

1. They are one-dimensional
2. They are usually incomprehensible.
3. Fans can not relate to them
4. They will inevitably be fed to a real superstar.

Ask Heidenrich, ask Koslov, ask Khali, Dino bravo, Ludvig Borga...

The issue of "foreign monsters" isn't about the 4 things you mentioned. Talent at the end of the day is judged on how well they can utilize the push they receive and how much the fan believes in you. If you can "walk the walk" then fans will appreciate you and you will get over.

The above mentioned with the exception of Ludvig Borga couldn't walk the walk and ended up in either goofy gimmicks or faded away. Ludvig Borga wasn't awesome by any means but his push was cancelled when he got injured and he left the WWF. He wasn't a joke or a jobber to the stars.

Glen Jacobs had to be repacked 3 times in order to get over. Mark Henry went through atleast 3 gimmicks before being pushed as a legit monster and making the best of it for a good short run. Even the Big Show never reached his potential as a monster in the WWE. Many WWE monsters get stale fast and few have lasting longevity like the Undertaker has. Kane every 6 months goes back and fourth between monster and comedy. If Rusev can impress the fans either being doing something unique to his size such as being able to do a clean shooting star press he will get over quickly. If his skills are limited to basic maneuvers you are right, he won't get over and get added to the list of foreign flops.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

How most people dislike this. How would you fix it though?

I'd suggest giving him a signature way of "killing" guys. Something cool. Maybe everytime he beats someone, he then powerbombs them off the apron through a table. Turn the "meh, boring squash" into "oooo gonna see someone get powerbombed through a table".

 

[cherrickb]

While he may have his first "feud", he's yet to prove himself on this level. I mean, he's being given a squash match at a PPV event. That's both an insult to him, and a waste of a match at a PPV. Now if they were booking him into a feud with like a Barrett, a Ryback, an RVD, then it wouldn't be such a colossal waste of time.

 

[Jerichoholic8894]

Like you said, He comes across as a 2014 version of Vladimir Kozlov. The crowd seems uninterested, and Rusev just seems like a very dull character.

He looks like he should be the bodyguard of some Bulgarian criminal.

I doubt he last more than a year.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

How do you fix it? Start by making him either human and having him lose this week - or by having a 3rd guy like Henry show up to replace either Truth or Woods... or even it becomes 3 on 1 cos he doesn't feel it's "a big enough challenge".

Are Lana and he a real couple? They get seen out quite a bit so if so start playing up their relationship more... that she is the only one who can calm him when he snaps.

And the final way is not to have him powerbombing people, that#s the Shield's schtick... but I could see him as the kind of guy who could get an old fashioned torture rack going... far more exciting than the Camel Clutch and he needs to use it against someone the American Fans care about to get those USA chant's going against him... Dunno if Hogan's back would allow it... but it seems a good way to start is have him take out the "Real American"... and would give a reason for someone like Cesaro or even a repackaged face Thwagger to step up and face him.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

How do you fix it? Start by making him either human and having him lose this week - or by having a 3rd guy like Henry show up to replace either Truth or Woods... or even it becomes 3 on 1 cos he doesn't feel it's "a big enough challenge".

Are Lana and he a real couple? They get seen out quite a bit so if so start playing up their relationship more... that she is the only one who can calm him when he snaps.

And the final way is not to have him powerbombing people, that#s the Shield's schtick... but I could see him as the kind of guy who could get an old fashioned torture rack going... far more exciting than the Camel Clutch and he needs to use it against someone the American Fans care about to get those USA chant's going against him... Dunno if Hogan's back would allow it... but it seems a good way to start is have him take out the "Real American"... and would give a reason for someone like Cesaro or even a repackaged face Thwagger to step up and face him.

I didn't necessarily mean that particular thing. Just some exclamation point after the match that he uses. They are conditioning the fans to be bored when they see Rusev because squashes are boring. You have to condition them to be excited when they see him. Some exciting exclamation point post-match could do that. Gorilla press slam through a table? Iunno, people love tables. Something is needed to get fans excited.

If the fans know what's going to happen, at least make it's something they look forward to.

 

[MoRtAnDaD]

Rusev is Kozlov 2.0, he will be doing comedy relief in a couple of month with santino.

Honestly, the only thing that stand out of rusev IS LANA. My god....extremely hot, she can burn the sun.

PS: To reinforce my theory of Kozlov 2.0, he will get a BIG clean win against one of the big names....then he will fade out because he is sadly an old school gimmick, who unlike bray wyatt (old school gimmick but with a modern take) says 80's cartoonish villain from eastern europe.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I didn't necessarily mean that particular thing. Just some exclamation point after the match that he uses. They are conditioning the fans to be bored when they see Rusev because squashes are boring. You have to condition them to be excited when they see him. Some exciting exclamation point post-match could do that. Gorilla press slam through a table? Iunno, people love tables. Something is needed to get fans excited.

If the fans know what's going to happen, at least make it's something they look forward to.

If they are using Drago... they do... the whole point of Rocky 4 and that arc is that the fans are "turned on" by the brutality, that he kills Apollo... forcing Rocky to match him/face him... only when it gets ugly and jingoistic does his lady fight back... and blame them... "You let him get in the ring...you wanted it...you paid...you cheered..." that is the arc they should go for with Lana and Rusev... it's almost "Are you not entertained?"

Drago was boring... no charisma other than look.... AKA Vince's wet dream... but the damage done made people take notice... translate that to Rusev, sure he isn't 6ft 5 before the flat top but the idea is there...

 

[JT Strike's Alt]

Rusev is tensai done better, now i think tensai was a better wrestler of the 2.

Rusev is getting a better reaction plus he's got a hot manager it always helps cause people looks foward to seeing you if they can see someone like lana with you.

Rusev should do squash matches then go and feud with some Mid Card wrestler,
I don't think rusev will ever get to the main event level. but wwe is in need of a big guy who can actually help build future stars.

I'm not sure if rusev is the guy for this since he has been having squash match after squash match. but imagine a feud with tyson kidd.
and tyson wins in a upset this could really spark up the Kiddmovement.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

If they are using Drago... they do... the whole point of Rocky 4 and that arc is that the fans are "turned on" by the brutality, that he kills Apollo... forcing Rocky to match him/face him... only when it gets ugly and jingoistic does his lady fight back... and blame them... "You let him get in the ring...you wanted it...you paid...you cheered..." that is the arc they should go for with Lana and Rusev... it's almost "Are you not entertained?"

Drago was boring... no charisma other than look.... AKA Vince's wet dream... but the damage done made people take notice... translate that to Rusev, sure he isn't 6ft 5 before the flat top but the idea is there...

Except that Rusev's offense doesn't look as violent. Drago wasn't boring. His appeal was he was robotic and you couldn't relate to him. He didn't act human, which made him seem more indestructible.

I do like the "killing Apollo" idea. Mabye he "injures" someone.

Now that you mention it. I have an idea. With the new minis supposedly come in. Maybe you go with a clone like what they do in Mexico (one superstar, one mini, both dressed the same). Rusev injures someone's mini in a match where the mini damn near beats him in a fluke. Revenge storyline.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Nah he needs to hurt someone beloved and my money is on Rey Mysterio... it's a good way to get him off TV if he is indeed leaving when his deal expires... as an outside Christian if he too is going to be "done" after the 3rd concussion in a year, you'd bet that's the case.

Rusev hurts one of those two, "ending their career" minis not needed, just taking Rey out would achieve the desired effect. Rey then can always make a "return" for one match or something down the line or if they re-sign him. You then get someone stepping up in his place to "avenge" him, perhaps Big Show or one of his other former partners. Christian fits the "Apollo" mould in that he's an older talent trying to recapture his best, indeed his last feud was all about getting a title match... so why not do that again, have him win the contendership only for Rusev to take him out... same thing applies, Edge could come in as a manager for whoever "steps up" for Christian.

 

[enviousdominous]

Rusef would be getting mad heat if this were the eighties. I remember when Nikita Kolof would wreck a show with the amount of heat he could get just by saying "DESTROY AMERICA!" in that ridiculously fake Russian accent.

He's very dead-pan, which doesn't really fly these days. Lana isn't much for hype herself, she just kind of rambles the same message and maybe throws a few observations regarding the situation in Ukraine into the shpeel.

We'll see what happens when they let him flatten Truth and Xavier. The usual algorithm goes "Dead serious brute, emotionally fragile big man, face turn into goofy moron, future endeavored". Remember when this guy:

[YOUTUBE]hkuIbKgVtrQ[/YOUTUBE]

Was turned into this guy:

[YOUTUBE]iGwrisgNg4Y[/YOUTUBE]

Still curious? Want something more recent?

Remember when this guy:

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Became this guy:

[YOUTUBE]AL1iHalsEvs[/YOUTUBE]

The WWE doesn't really play with a full deck when they use all the power of their combined creativity to brain storm a marketable program for their soft spoken big men. I give Rusev a year at most until he's gone full Adorable Adrian Adonis on us.

 

[rge2010]

Rusev is now billed from Russia and dropped the 'Bulgarian Brute' gimmick.

Cheap heat WWE. Cheap heat!!!

 

[Notorious718]

Rusev really strikes me as more of a showcase for Lana than anything else and reading the other responses on this thread, it doesn't seem like I feel alone in this. Rusev himself is a weird case. I don't like being pessimistic when it comes to having new talents especially since that's what we've all been crying for so I won't. I'm not really sure where he fits on the roster as far as compelling feuds are concerned but once he's through using the jobbers on the roster as his whipping boys and is finally placed in a real program with someone, then I'll be able to make a make a fair judgement.

 

[SoulTrain4]

He sucks so far and adds nothing to the product.

 

[rerun406]

sorry for bumping this, but I think it's worth mentioning I ust caught up on the play by play on tonight's RAW and I see Rusev defeated Zack Ryder yet again .. for what is .. the 3rd time already?

come on. All the talent on the WWE's roster and what's the point of continuously matching Rusev with Ryder? Bad move on creative's part .. we get it that Ryder's American, but does it get the desired effect?

3 months or so into Rusev's single matches has he progressed any?

 

[MartialHorror]

What makes it worse is that Rusev has already had a bigger feud with Big E. You'd think that would elevate his opponents to midcard level...I'd rather see him take on the Big Show or Swagger than watch Rusev squash the same people. Christ, put him in a match with Kofi or even Sin Cara, just not R-Truth, Heath Slater, Woods or Ryder AGAIN.

 

[kumarjtk]

be patients for few months. We will see reigns vs rusev one on one match take place. Where reigns spears and apply a new submission move to tap rusev. The he became a monster jobber for face main eventers.

 

[MartialHorror]

lol, that will probably happen too. Rusev will eventually either become a champion, or feud with a big face champion, but will be conquered by the top good guy- whether it be Cena, Reigns or Bryan- and will become a (high class) jobber who will grow so stale that they'll make him into a fun loving, party guy face. That's what happens to all monsters once their novelty wears off.