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Absent from TV for a long time, Rusev made his return to WWE on Raw this week, and while the return was rather underwhelming, The Bulgarian Brute is finally back on television.
Rusev returned to Raw under odd storyline circumstances, as earlier in the night, Maria Kanellis revealed she will be having a baby boy, and then informed her husband Mike Kanellis that the father of the child is WWE star Ricochet. After later admitting that Ricochet is not the father of her child, Maria then hit the entrance ramp and announced the real father, after which Rusev's music hit.
It remains to be seen in which direction WWE will be going with Rusev as the potential father, as the company released a post-SmackDown video during which Rusev remained silent when asked if he is indeed the father of Maria's child.
Still with me? Good.
Now that Rusev is back on television, let's look at five opponents the big man can face in order to make a mark and hopefully challenge for titles in the near future.
#5 AJ Styles
It looks like WWE has brought Rusev back to television as a heel, but it remains to be seen what kind of concrete plans, if any, the company has for Rusev down the line.
With WWE SmackDown readying itself to debut on FOX Sports in October, and a major roster draft set to take place a week after SmackDown's move to FOX, it remains to be seen which brand Rusev will end up on when the dust settles following the draft.
Should both AJ Styles and Rusev remain on the Raw brand, a great first feud on the Monday night brand might be a babyface Rusev vs a heel United States Champion AJ Styles.
An immediate challenge to a top title holder on WWE Raw might be a great way to catapult Rusev back into WWE storylines, that is, if WWE is willing to push a man oftentimes forgotten by the WWE Creative.
#4 R-Truth
The WWE 24/7 Championship was created back in May of this year, and four months later it has become clear that the title has served to provide weekly comedy fodder for R-Truth.
Fans have had mixed reactions to the booking of the 24/7 Title, with some fans feeling the comedy bits with R-Truth, Carmella, Drake Maverick and others have been great, while other fans feel the 24/7 Title has skewed too much in the direction of silly comedy, and see the potential for the belt to be taken a bit more seriously.
Should WWE decide to move into a more serious direction with the 24/7 Championship, Rusev could make for a really fun title holder.
The belt obviously has to be defended 24/7, but with Rusev as the title holder, and given his impressive new physique, Rusev could be portrayed as a machine incapable of being stopped as the 24/7 Champion, and the days of the title changing hands following simple surprise roll-up pins can be eliminated.
It remains to be seen whether or not WWE has any plans to bring Lana back to TV anytime soon, and if she does in fact return, she could be used similarly to how Carmella has been used, in order to see to it that Rusev retains the 24/7 Title.
#3 Braun Strowman
Following is WWE Universal Championship match loss at Clash of Champions, Braun Strowman currently finds himself without a feud or potential feud, and his creative plans appear to be up in the air.
With Rusev returning to WWE Raw this week, it might be a good idea to have The Bulgarian Brute enter a long-term feud with The Monster Among Men, in order to showcase the physicality of both big men.
Back when Paul Heyman first took over as the new Executive Director of Raw, Strowman was involved in a much talked about segment with Bobby Lashley which saw Strowman put Lashley through the entrance screen on Raw, and the subsequent explosion received rave reviews from fans.
With Rusev back on WWE TV, the former U.S. Champion could have excellent, and more importantly very physical matches with Braun Strowman, and the two could battle over the course of the next few PPV events. Rusev has been badly booked in the past year or so in WWE, so if he is going to be taken seriously again as a credible threat on the main roster, he needs to be inserted into an impactful feud soon after making his TV return.
#2 Cedric Alexander
WWE Raw star Cedric Alexander is coming off a feud with AJ Styles, however, recent reports suggest that Vince McMahon made the call to "bury" Alexander on Raw this week for reasons not yet known.
Alexander's match at Clash of Champions was relegated to the Kickoff Show, and AJ Styles seems to have Alexander's number as he not only defeated Alexander at the PPV but proceeded to assault the young star after their match on WWE Raw.
If Cedric Alexander's feud with AJ Styles is over, a feud with a returning Rusev could be interesting for both men. Rusev is a super heavyweight who is usually booked in matches in order to showcase his strength and size, but a match against someone like Cedric Alexander could give The Bulgarian Brute the opportunity to showcase his agility and ability to work technical wrestling matches.
With SmackDown set to move to FOX in the coming weeks, a good idea might be for Rusev to make a strong impression on the blue brand and become part of a show which is rumored to be taking on more of a sports-oriented presentation. Fans are accustomed to seeing the humorous side of Rusev, but a more athletic Rusev could be a nice change of pace.
#1 Finn Balor
Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor is currently off television and on a break from WWE after losing a match to The Fiend at SummerSlam last month.
Balor is expected to be returning to WWE in the coming weeks and could be back in time for the SmackDown move to FOX and the subsequent roster draft. Should both Balor and Rusev end up the Raw brand following the draft, a feud between the two stars could be fresh for them both.
Rusev made his return to WWE TV this week and did not cut a promo, making his return character somewhat obscure. The WWE announce team made no mention of Rusev Day, so the gimmick appears to be done with, signaling a new, serious, heel direction for Rusev, and it would be nice to see WWE treat the big man with a certain amount of athletic seriousness. Rusev vs Finn Balor could wind up being a sleeper feud, especially if Balor brings The Demon back at some point to battle The Brute.
What did you think of tonight's two-part episode of WWE NXT? Let us know in the comment section and be sure to follow SK on Twitter and Facebook!
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