STEP UP: Rusev
I said this back at SummerSlam – if Rusev was going to lose, he would have lost to Jack Swagger. Swagger was proof that WWE was invested in him, and that the crowd was responding to their program. Mark Henry was meant to legitimize him as an unstoppable force. Big Show is the giant meant to prove “nobody” can stop him. And honestly, once you’ve knocked out Mark Henry and Big Show, logic dictates that no mere man should be able to stop him.
Rusev is now slated to face off against Sheamus for the U.S. championship, most likely at next month’s Survivor Series PPV. He’ll win that match. He’ll win the title. Show and Henry won’t interfere, because they’ll be too busy dealing with each other. In recent years, Sheamus has become almost Cena-like in his ability to win everything, but there’s nothing to gain from burning Rusev’s push in a mid-card title match.
The point is, Rusev will be the champion of the United States, drawing more heat than he’s ever had before, and there’s “nobody” to stop him. I’m predicting it now: he will carry that title into WrestleMania, where he will drop it to the newly turned babyface, Cesaro.
