What's the story?
Sources have revealed to us that Rusev may be in hot water with WWE, who are said to very unhappy with Rusev's decision to cut his hair.
In case you didn't know...
Rusev missed WrestleMania with an injury and hasn't been seen on WWE TV since his empathic loss to the Big Show, at WWE Fastlane.
The Heart of the Matter
WWE Superstars are expected to ask for permission if they wish to make drastic changes to their appearance. This is due to the amount of money that the company invests in marketing. Changing a look to the extent Rusev did, means that programs, cards, sticker books, DVDs, chairs, trucks and especially action figures, featuring Rusev, become dated.
Also read: Jinder Mahal didn’t replace Rusev
Mattel, the official action figure distributor of the WWE, spend thousands a year on getting head scans from the Superstars so that they can produce figures that look accurate. Rusev and Lana are set to have a double pack released in the coming months, where Rusev will still have long hair, making it likely that sales of the figure pack will be weak.
What's next?
Rusev and Lana were both drafted to SmackDown as part of the Superstar Shake up. However, it is unknown when Rusev will return.
Author's take
Aside from messing up WWE merchandise and promo material, Rusev messed up the opportunity to lose his hair in a Lucha de Apuesta. Had Rusev told officials he wanted to have a drastic haircut, the creative team would have certainly booked him to be part of a high-profile feud where he would've lost his hair in the process.
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