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Former WWE writer Vince Russo believes Rusev would have become a WWE main-eventer if he had faced Kurt Angle earlier in his career.
Rusev, now known as Miro in AEW, signed with WWE in 2010 and spent six years performing on RAW and SmackDown between 2014 and 2020. His wife Lana received her release from WWE last week after eight years with the company.
Russo, WWE’s head writer for most of the late 1990s, discussed Lana’s release with Dr. Chris Featherstone on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Writing With Russo. Reflecting on Lana’s on-screen alliance with Rusev, he said Kurt Angle would have been the perfect rival to take Rusev to the next level:
“Bro, she’s in the perfect spot with Rusev,” Russo said. “Rusev is this close to being a main-eventer. Bro, there was a point when they didn’t bring Kurt Angle back, and if they would’ve brought him back for Rusev, you would’ve got Rusev over the hump and he would’ve been a main-eventer at that point. They had Lana in the perfect spot.”
Watch the video above to find out Vince Russo’s thoughts on WWE’s latest releases. He discussed Lana’s possible next move and a major flaw in WWE’s booking of Ruby Riott.
Kurt Angle almost faced Rusev in WWE
Miro revealed on his YouTube channel in 2020 that he pitched an idea for his Rusev character to face Kurt Angle in WWE.
The three-time United States Champion wanted to take on the Olympic gold medallist during his first year on WWE’s main roster. However, he was told by a higher-up that WWE did not want Angle to return at that time due to concerns about his health:
“They told me no,” Miro said. “This is verbatim for the person who told me. He said, ‘We don't wanna feel responsible if he comes back and dies.’”
Kurt Angle returned to WWE in 2017 after receiving his induction into the company’s Hall of Fame. He competed in 22 WWE matches between 2017 and 2019, including live events, but none of those matches were against Rusev.
Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Writing With Russo if you use quotes from this article.
