United States champion Rusev and his manager Lana have been two of the best heels in the WWE for the last year, but the duo must capitalize on the opportunity presented to it in a feud against John Cena.After being the last man eliminated from the Royal Rumble match, Rusev interrupted a backstage interview with Cena and stole the mic. Cena shoved Rusev first, and the two men have been at each other’s throats ever since.
This is the biggest storyline of Rusev’s career. He has been booked strong and protected for the majority of his time with the WWE, but he has yet to square off with a challenger the magnitude of Cena. At Fast Lane, Rusev goes one-on-one with the face of the company.
Rusev has yet to be pinned or submitted, which is something Cena may be looking to conquer.
This United States Championship match will not headline the pay-per-view, but there will be plenty of eyes on the action due to the involvement of Cena. He is the most popular star of the last decade and one of the biggest box-office draws in WWE history.
One of the problems many fans have with Cena is his lack of elite wrestling ability. While there is no question he can put on great matches against elite workers, he doesn’t have the ability to carry a match on his own. The good news is that Rusev is incredibly talented in the ring and will be expected to elevate his performance against Cena.
If Rusev can shine under the bright lights of Fast Lane by helping Cena tell a believable story and keeping the fans entertained, he will prove to the decision-makers behind the scenes that he can perform under even the most difficult circumstances.
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Holding his own in the ring shouldn’t be an issue for Rusev, but working against Cena in a long-term program will be about talking on the mic as well. The WWE Universe should expect plenty of pro-American chatter from the 15-time world champion, and there is little doubt Cena should be getting cheered primarily in this feud, despite his childish humor.
It’s hard to hate Cena when he’s fighting a Russian sympathizer who runs down the United States.
The good news for wrestling fans is that Lana and Rusev have been incredible when given the chance to talk. Lana is learning all the nuances of being a heel manager in front of the live crowds and has built a character that draws legitimate reactions. On the other hand, Rusev’s broken-English promos make him sound like an unstoppable machine who only knows violence.
Instead of Cena pretending to show terror at the sight of a singing child like he did against Bray Wyatt last year, he could conceivably be scared of Rusev’s brutal take-no-prisoners attitude and in-ring style.
As if wrestling arguably the top star in the business today and carrying his own weight in the ring and on the mic weren’t enough pressure for Rusev, he also has the chance to bring some legitimacy back to the United States Championship.
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The WWE Universe has been clamoring for the company to care about the secondary titles now that there is one unified WWE World Heavyweight Championship. With Dean Ambrose challenging for the intercontinental title and Cena battling Rusev for the U.S. title, the fans are getting exactly what they wanted.
All signs thus far have pointed to this feud continuing on for a few months, and that should mean a three-PPV series. Looking at this as a realist, Rusev would likely get the win at Fast Lane in a fluke fashion before losing clean for the first time to Cena at WrestleMania 31.
As much as Rusev should win this feud, a second win for Cena at Extreme Rules would be the more likely outcome. Regardless of who wins the matches and how long the feud lasts, though, Rusev will now be viewed on the same level as Cena.
Rusev and Lana have the talent and heat with the crowd to be the perfect antagonists to Cena during WrestleMania season, but they must take this opportunity and make the most of it now in order to continue being top heels after the conclusion of the storyline.
