What’s the story?
According to the Wrestling Observer Radio, John Cena’s first opponent upon his return is set to be Rusev.
In case you didn’t know...
John Cena is set to make his return on July 4th, where he will be a free agent, meaning that he is not exclusive to SmackDown Live any longer. His last appearance with WWE was at WrestleMania 33, where he teamed with Nikki Bella to take on The Miz & Maryse. He took his normal hiatus to go film The Pact.
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As for Cena’s old rival Rusev, he’s been out of action since March this year, missing WrestleMania 33 in the process. He’s been cleared to return to action since June, but WWE has seemingly been holding back on his debut. He has however returned to regular live event appearances.
The heart of the matter
The Observer noted that John Cena is set to rekindle his old rivalry with Rusev, who will be making his return as well. The two will then feud heading into Battleground.
From the look of things, it might seem that this will be a stepping stone feud for John Cena for his comeback. That doesn't favour Rusev, unfortunately, who will likely lose momentum right upon his delayed comeback. And a performer of Rusev’s calibre definitely deserves better.
What’s next?
John Cena will return and we will get to see what WWE has in store for the leader of the Cenation.
Author’s take
While it is nice for Cena to pick up the win, it’s not good at the cost of a returning Rusev. Rusev should be turned babyface, adopting a pro-American gimmick, the opposite of what he had so far. The reason why the turn would favour him is that it would be a fresh coat of paint for The Bulgarian Brute.
Apart from this, Rusev is the actual definition of “The American Dream”. He came from a less advanced country to the US to pursue his dreams and succeeded in doing so.
Lana herself stated on Talk Is Jericho that Rusev is the definition of The American Dream. Not to mention that Rusev is absolutely hilarious, so people would naturally get behind him. WWE, turn Rusev babyface!
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