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Rusev won his third United States Championship in a title bout on the Christmas episode of SmackDown Live. After a year of fans being behind him, we finally saw a Rusev Day miracle. However, he had an oddly short reign due to some shenanigans from the King of Strong Style Shinsuke Nakamura.
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Rusev and Nakamura faced off for the championship on the Royal Rumble Kickoff show in a pretty brutal matchup, which saw both men bring out the big guns. It was a contest full of hard-hitting action, featuring two of the best brawlers on Tuesday nights.
However, After Nakamura had trouble putting Rusev away, he resorted to cheap tactics. The former champion went to the corner where he began to take off the top turnbuckle pad. It was at this moment that Lana got involved.
Lana got onto the apron, pointing out to the referee that Nakamura was trying to cheat. Nakamura and Lana got into each other's faces in a pretty heated argument. At this point, Rusev went in to attack Nakamura, not knowing his wife was on the other side. As Nakamura avoided the Bulgarian Brute, Rusev crashed right into Lana, sending her down to the ground where it looks like she might've tweaked her ankle.
A stunned Rusev looked on, allowing Shinsuke Nakamura to drive his knee into the back of his opponent's head. The Cheapshot Artist walked away with his second United States Championship, while Rusev and Lana were left laying.
We'll be sure to see the fallout of this event on SmackDown Live, though Rusev and Nakamura could face off one more time tonight in the men's Royal Rumble match. If so, the former champion will be looking for some much-needed revenge. Will the Artist escape Rusev's rage later?
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