4. Rusev
Rusev has what could be referred to as old school heat, and he is getting it done the way heels in pro wrestling used to; he comes out, infuriates the crowd, crushes his opponent, then leaves. And crucially, after he’s gone, you’re still ticked off about it.
The heat he has with the crowd is so enduring because it is a lot of fun: the crowd can participate with the patriotic chants and at the end of the day, the hate that Rusev and Lana spew forth is more real than anyone cares to admit. That is why it works so well.
Much of what the two say comes directly from the arrogance that many outside of the United States have towards Americans. Instead of respecting the impact that the U.S. has had on the world and the leadership it has shown during the course of history, many choose to blame Americans for their own shortcomings, and WWE has used that fact to strike gold with Lana and Rusev.
Some have suggested that Lana is more over than the man she represents but the truth is that Rusev is more than capable of getting heat. All he has to do is speak Russian, wave the flag and destroy one babyface after another, and with every time he does, there is no doubt that the anger toward him is only getting stronger.
The angle between him and Jack Swagger is the best example of this and is such a throwback to storylines from years past: it’s like Nikita Koloff versus Magnum TA and if the company wants to keep pushing The Bulgarian Brute as the next top heel, they will continue this angle. Rusev is the anti-American monster and Lana is the propagandist spreading his rhetoric – it’s the perfect combination and one of the most hated in WWE.
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