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Back in 2017, the WWE Universe was introduced to the concept of Rusev Day. The gimmick was so over with the WWE fans that they would cheer for Rusev even though he was a heel. Later on, Aiden English aligned himself with Rusev, thus naming their team, along with Lana, Rusev Day.
Even though Rusev Day didn't get a run with the Tag Team Championships, they were one of the most loved teams in WWE. The team enjoyed a year-long run together before Aiden English turned on Rusev and claimed to have an affair with Lana.
In the subsequent weeks, English's claims were proven false, leading to a match between him and Rusev. The Bulgarian Brute won the match, moving on to win the United States Championship.
WWE's critical mistake with Rusev Day
Arn Anderson, on his podcast, discussed Vince McMahon's 50-50 booking strategy and how he tried to convince The Chairman not to do so. While talking about the WWE Chairman's missed opportunities, Anderson spoke about the company's mistake with the Rusev Day gimmick.
“I didn’t particularly want Rusev to turn babyface. But the fans, when they call for it, jump on it. Don’t wait three weeks, don’t wait a month. If they suddenly are clamoring for a particular talent for whatever reason – even if it was something that just happened last week that made them think completely different about the talent and this week they suddenly start cheering the guy – I say put the pedal down and go with it. Don’t wait until it cools off again and wait for it to get over again. That’s what I saw happening, and it was one of those things where Rusev Day got over, but it just kind of sat there in neutral for so long that it just teetered out. When you get a guy like that the fans suddenly get behind, the office should get behind him too.” (h/t 411mania.com)
Now, both Rusev and Aiden English aren't with the WWE. The company released both of them during the COVID-19 budget cuts in April.
