When it comes to the fifty stars and thirteen bars, no one is more proud of Old Glory than Zeb Colter. Jack Swagger’s “founding father” has transformed in recent weeks from a protectionist bigot into a proud veteran hell bent on defending his country and its freedoms.
Along the way, Swagger and Colter have battled the Russian duo of Rusev and Lana. Both groups have delivered passionate promos in recent weeks, with Lana belittling Americans for their supposed weakness, while Colter and Swagger have done everything in their power to rid the WWE of the foreign menaces.
Swagger had his first chance to eliminate the Putin-praising Bulgarian last month at Battleground, but was ultimately unsuccessful after losing via countout. He will have another chance this Sunday at SummerSlam, as the two will again square off, this time in a flag match.
The program between Rusev and Swagger is the classic WWE feud between a monster foreign heel and an American savior. Programs such as this one are usually about as trite and cliché as a teenage romantic comedy, but this program has benefited both parties.
Swagger’s face turn helped add more depth to he and Colter’s characters, who were honestly becoming a bit stale prior to the program. More importantly, however, it has finally gotten Rusev and Lana over after weeks of lukewarm reactions.
During their last meeting, Swagger and Rusev worked surprisingly well together, putting on an entertaining contest that was full of impressive spots. However, those who have benefited most may in fact be the managers.
