At first glance, Alexander Rusev seems like a rehash of a character WWE fans have seen countless times: the monster foreign superstar who feasts on unworthy foes while being accompanied by a manager who serves as his mouthpiece.

Some have contended that the character is so unoriginal that it was completely lifted from a Rocky movie of all places, as he has drawn comparisons to Rocky IV villain Ivan Drago and his wife Ludmilla.

Despite the fact that many believe he is a recycled, cliché character, Rusev has managed to make his way through the WWE’s NXT division and to the main roster in a relatively short amount of time.

Rusev has been booked as a monster, but do fans actually view him as one?

Since making his debut on the main roster, Rusev made a brief appearance in this year’s Royal Rumble and has been feasting on jobbers ever since. Unlike some of his critics, I believe that Rusev can be successful at the main level, but only if he is booked differently from similar heels in the past.

In recent years, the WWE has chosen to rely upon the tried-and-true formula of debuting a monster heel and serving him a hearty portion of heels (see Ryback for example). They expect that if the heel is shoved down fans’ throats long enough by competing in squash matches, they will eventually realize his dominance and he will be over in no time.

It appears they are attempting to take the same course of action with Rusev, as he has competed against only jobbers and will face R-Truth and Xavier Woods in a handicap match at Extreme Rules. Hell, they even threw Rusev into the coalition of jobbers that worked to beat down the Shield during the 11-on-3 handicap match a few weeks back on Raw.

The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown, taped Tuesday night in Nashville, Tennessee.

– WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E. vs. Alberto Del Rio

– WWE Divas Champion Paige vs. Aksana

– Hornswoggle vs. El Torito

– Alexander Rusev vs. R-Truth

– Santino Marella vs. Fandango

– Batista vs. Sheamus

You can read a complete spoiler report for the show by clicking the link below.

WWE SmackDown Spoilers (April 18, 2014)

The following are results from the WWE Superstars tapings, which took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York prior to Monday’s live edition of WWE RAW.

WWE Superstars Results (Airing: March 27, 2014)

– Emma def. Summer Rae (with Fandango) in one-on-one Divas action to open the show.

– R-Truth and Xavier Woods def. 3MB in the tag-team main event of the evening.

Both matches were taped live in the arena while the WWE RAW pre-show was taking place, which featured Josh Mathews, Alex Riley, Booker T and Mick Foley on a panel discussing RAW and WrestleMania XXX.

The following are highlights of a recent Source interview with R-Truth:

On recording music with Wiz Khalifa and whose album it will be on: “On mine, but if he’s doing something that he wants me to be a part of I would be glad to do so. That night was actually Wiz’s first WWE show and he was blown away. I got a chance to talk with him and told him I was working on my next album and asked him if he would be down to be part of it which he agreed – I asked him if he was down to spit a 16 on my next album, and he said “Let me know when, I’m ready” – I asked him if he would be down to walk down the ring with me at any given point he told me he was down for whatever, so that was huge for me. Especially being a fan of his music, the collaboration is going to be banging.”

On other rappers that may appear on his album: “I’ve spoken already with Juvenile. I’m in talks right now with DMX and MGK. I spoke a little bit with E-40 about doing something but thats not confirmed yet, but I’m still working on features. I already got John Cena on two tracks and thats banging already, so expect that.”

On his current WWE character and goals for 2014: “Right now the R-Truth character is pretty much going to the ring and handling business. Me personally, I’m working on this album and working on myself – perfecting my craft every week and everyday. I’m trying to get to that next level. I’m trying to have that talked about match at WrestleMania, if its not this WrestleMania it’s going to be the next WrestleMania because thats why you in this business for, to get into the main event – the Super Bowl of wrestling, and that is WrestleMania.”

Check out the complete R-Truth interview at TheSource.com.

– WWE Hall Of Famer is taking questions from fans for his interview with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, which will serve as his debut “Ross Report” podcast at PodcastOne.com. Those interested can tweet your questions with the hashtag “#AskJR”.

– The black eye Christian was sporting at RAW on Monday night was likely the result of a stiff shot he received during a match at the weekend WWE live events.

– WWE Superstar R-Truth noted on Twitter that he has been in talks with hip-hop star Wiz Khalifa, who was in attendance at RAW on Monday, regarding the two working together on a future song. Truth tweeted the following:

Wiz khalifa and R Truth ( we already spoke about a feature on the up coming album) pic.twitter.com/0tYIz7zBXa

— Ron Killings (@RonKillings) February 11, 2014

– It was announced on WWE RAW that one of the matches on this week’s edition of WWE Main Event will be R-Truth vs. Damien Sandow in one-on-one competition.

– WWE Superstar “The Animal” Batista made his return in the opening segment of Monday’s Royal Rumble “go-home” edition of WWE RAW. Batista confronted WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and told him that his intentions are to win the Royal Rumble, headline WrestleMania XXX and become the new champion.

– As previously reported, Daniel Bryan was taken off of his scheduled appearances at WWE live events this weekend due to the concussion he suffered at RAW on Monday. As noted, Big Show served as Bryan’s replacement in singles matches against Bray Wyatt. As a result, Kane, who was originally slated to compete against Big Show on the opposing WWE live event tour, ended up working as somewhat of a babyface against Luke Harper and Erick Rowan in two-on-one handicap matches.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Pat Patterson celebrates his 73rd birthday today. Patterson was born on January 19, 1940. Also celebrating a birthday today was current WWE Superstar R-Truth, who turned 42. Truth was born on January 19, 1971.

WWE will tape this week’s Main Event and SmackDown on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

As announced at Old School RAW on Monday night, the main event for this week’s WWE Main Event will be a tag-team match featuring R-Truth & Xavier Woods vs. The Real Americans.

The confirmed main event for this week’s SmackDown, which was also announced at Old School RAW, is a non-title match between WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E. Langston.

Also advertised for the taping in Philadelphia tonight is WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley.

Anyone who is attending tonight’s taping, feel free to submit a live report to be published here on the website.

– It was announced at Old School RAW that the main event of WWE Main Event this Wednesday will be R-Truth and Xavier Woods vs. The Real Americans in tag-team action.

– Cody Rhodes may have injured his ankle during the tag-team match at Old School RAW on Monday night. According to reports, following the match on Monday, Rhodes removed his boot in the ring and had to be helped to the back by Goldust and the referee. We should have more on this later.

– As previously reported, former WWE developmental talent Ivelisse Velez posted a message on Facebook saying her father had gone missing. Velez has since updated her Facebook to announce that he was found and is safe.

– Former WCW star Konnan recently posted an update on Twitter pointing out that his comments about R-Truth were part of an ongoing inside joke between the two, and not a “diss” like another reporter claimed. Konnan tweeted the following:

For da record,would never diss @RonKillings, dats my bro 4 life..its an inside joke, u guys can stay on da outside of it..#ShitStirrers

— Konnan (@Konnan5150) December 27, 2013

– A photocopy of Maven Huffman’s contract with WWE is currently being auctioned off on eBay.

Following Huffman’s 2005 departure from WWE, the contract, as well as the trophy he was awarded for winning Tough Enough in 2001 and other WWE items, wound up in a storage unit in Virginia (his home state). Huffman, however, stopped paying the bill, and the storage unit and its contents were sold to a man for $100. The man reached out to Huffman to return his possessions, but heard nothing back. He then turned to eBay and sold some of the possessions, including the original contract and the trophy (the trophy sold for $600).

To view the auction, click here.

As far as Huffman’s whereabouts are concerned, mixed martial arts journalist and wrestling fan Ariel Helwani revealed in September via Twitter that he was working at a sports bar in New York City.

– Konnan is apparently no longer on good terms with R-Truth, who he teamed with in TNA Wrestling as members of 3Live Kru.

Earlier this week on Twitter, a wrestling fan who is father, made note of his toddler son selecting a Mattel R-Truth action figure for Christmas. Konnan responded to the fan with the following: “He has bad taste..#AhCmonNow.”

The former WCW United States Champion also continues to slam Curtis Axel on the social media platform. In response to a user writing “[Curtis Axel’s Twitter handle] > [Konnan’s Twitter handle],” he wrote, “Are u referring to da guy dat went from IC champ to teaming w/Ryback 2 now doing jobs for SinCara2.0?..#Awesome.”

– As noted earlier, WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels is featured in the new Colton James music video for his single “101 Proof.” For those interested in checking out the video, visit CMT.com. (Thanks to Carl Dantes for sending along the link.)

– WWE CEO Vince McMahon, along with Big Show, R-Truth, Eva Marie and Alicia Fox, are all headed overseas to visit some of the U.S. Troops. No word yet on which country they will be visiting.

Here’s the latest installment of “The YES! & The NO! of WWE RAW.” I may have a different perspective than you since I was live at Raw this week at The Nassau Colosseum! Comment below and tell us how you like the column and if you agree with this week’s picks.

Complete WWE RAW Results (11/25): With VIDEOS

WWE RAW (11/25): The “YES!”

Daniel Bryan & CM Punk vs The Wyatts

Daniel Bryan & CM Punk cut a promo before facing The Wyatts

The obligatory rematch between The Wyatts and Daniel Bryan & CM Punk, took place on Raw. First a promo from “The Beard & The Best” CM Punk discussing team names, and asking questions allowing Daniel Bryan to answer them with a “Yes!”.  Daniel Bryan got a chance to say more than just the three letter word that will follow him for the rest of his career.

I love Daniel Bryan, and so does the crowd. In fact you could hear Daniel Bryan chants during the opening segment, proving once again that this demotion was not “Best For Business” But more on that in the “NO!” section.

Any match can be enhanced with the crowd behind you. When you have top stars like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, the two most over Superstars at Raw, it can add just that little more energy to the match.

CM Punk made a comment about Triple H and the authority in the opening promo, and wouldn’t know it after Daniel Bryan was “Kidnapped” by the Wyatts. CM Punk was laid out by The Shield.  I wonder if that marks the end of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk together, because I was enjoying that. Time will tell.

Who would have thought Goldust would be having great matches alongside his brother in 2013!

The Shield vs The Rhodes and Rey Mysterio 

I have never been a fan of Tag Teams growing up watching the WWE. I must say however, though all the missteps, and bad booking since SummerSlam, The WWE has a great tag team division. This, of course includes The Shield and The Wyatt factions. Day in and day out these teams from The Veteran Golddust, to newer WWE talent in The Shield and The USO’s, are having great matches. I am thoroughly enjoying watching these teams work.

The Kosher Butcher!

The Kosher Butcher
Superstars for Sandy Relief Auction winner, ” Charlie Tebele was interviewed by Jerry “The King” Lawler. When asked if he were to be a WWE Superstar, what would his name be. Charlie was prepared, with a blue T-shirt and a great gimmick “The Kosher Butcher” He even went as far to come up with his finisher, The Circumcision! At first the crowd didn’t know what to make of this.  Not sure if this was shown on TV, but The Kosher Butcher had at least a dozen of his friends and family at Raw, all wearing their Blue shirts! Great stuff. Half way during the Xavier Woods match, and some further thought, the crowd broke out into chants of  both “Kosher Butcher” and “Circumcision”, add that to the list of most bizarre Raw chants.
Great Stuff.

Hit up Page 2 below for the “NO!” of this week’s WWE RAW:

– Former manager of Alberto Del Rio and Rob Van Dam, Ricardo Rodriguez, worked at last night’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view. Rodriguez handled the Spanish commentary for the pay-per-view broadcast.

– Former WWE RAW General Manager on-air and former Senior Vice President of Talent Relations behind-the-scenes, John Laurinaitis, made a small cameo during the Survivor Series pay-per-view on Sunday night. During a backstage segment that featured Santino Marella and R-Truth playing with WWE action figures, Laurinaitis, along with Los Matadores and Fandango, popped in briefly.

– Former WWE Superstar Chris Jericho is in Regina and Calgary this weekend with his new cover band, Coverboy. The band features Jericho, Brent and Todd from Slash’s band and Spider from Loverboy. For more information, visit CoverboyRocks.com. (Thanks to reader Brent Donnelly for sending along the info.)

– Former WWE NXT star Xavier Woods made his official WWE main roster debut on RAW Country this past Monday night. Woods debuted as R-Truth’s “new partner” and the two defeated The Rhinestone Cowboys on RAW. The Rhinestone Cowboys, for those who missed it, were 3MB dressed up in country gear.

Woods and R-Truth have teamed together before, wrestling as “Truth & Consequences” in TNA  several years ago (when Woods was known as Consequences Creed).

• Former WWE & TNA Star Gets Married (PHOTOS OF THE WEDDING)

– WWE ring announcer Tony Chimel got physically involved in the action at the WWE live event in Minehead on Saturday night. After defeating R-Truth to retain his WWE Intercontinental Championship, Curtis Axel demanded that Chimel give him the proper post-match announcement. Instead of doing that, Chimel kicked Axel in the gut and hit him with a “Stone Cold Stunner.” Following that sequence, The Bella Twins hit the ring and gave Chimel a big kiss.

WWE Superstar and current World Heavyweight Champion John Cena later joked on Twitter that Chimel may “owe Steve Austin” and that he may have lost his girlfriend, Nikki Bella, to Chimel.

Cena tweeted the following:

Rumor has it @TonyChimelWWE may owe @steveaustinBSR and I may have lost @nicoleandbri to #chimmychamcasanova @WWEUniverse #thatscorrect

— John Cena (@JohnCena) November 16, 2013

R-Truth has plans to release a rap album and is collaborating with World Heavyweight Champion John Cena on it.

Speaking to BANG Showbiz, the 41-year-old reveals, “I’m currently working on a WWE album made up of all my own songs. I have a wide range of artists I listen to—I can get something out of Pearl Jam! Talking about rap I’m into Tupac, Eminem, Lil Wayne and T.I. Those guys, to me, talk about their own personal experiences.

“There’s a lot of my life in the songs—I lost my sister to cancer around four months ago, there’s a song on there about that. People who have gone through that, or are going through that situation will hopefully take something from it. A lot of my music is inspired by personal situations in my life.”

The Raw Superstar is very excited for fans to hear his collaborations with Cena, who released his own rap album in 2005.

“John Cena just recorded two songs. They should be really great once they’re done. I’ve always wanted to do this and I was talking to Hunter (Triple H) and he was like, ‘I just can’t believe you’ve not done this already.’ I’ve been on and off with WWE about 10 years and I’m just at the point now where I think I’ve matured enough to put out something that’s likable. Me, I like to go against the grain I don’t like to talk about typical things in my music – my music is more about real life situations. About important things, having faith, pursuing your dreams and goals. My music is about drive,” said R-Truth.

The album is inspired by Eminem and Tupac Shakur. To read the full article, which features R-Truth’s thoughts on wrestling in the United Kingdom, click here.

– Speaking to WWE Magazine, R-Truth answered questions on his favorite pay-per-view event, the whereabouts of Little Jimmy, and whether it’s harder to move around as he gets older.

R-Truth, who turns 42-years-old in January, says he’s in excellent shape. “It all comes naturally to me, and it’s almost like muscle memory when I’m out there now. In a way, it’s easier than before. I’m in as great a shape as I’ve always been, and now, I’ve got the experience to back it up,” said R-Truth.

R-Truth’s showdown with John Cena at Capitol Punishment ranks as his favorite pay-per-view event to participate in. Regarding the event, he said, “It felt like it was my show. I was up against John Cena for the WWE Title so it was one of the biggest moments of my career. All eyes were finally on me and I made sure to give the audience something worth watching.”

On the whereabouts of Little Jimmy, which was the brainchild of WWE head Vince McMahon, R-Truth states, “Man, that kid’s back with his mom! I needed a break from him, we weren’t getting along too well. Good riddance if you ask me!”

– Piers Morgan, host of CNN’s highly-rated Piers Morgan Live, posted a message on Twitter relaying his disappointment in missing WWE’s ongoing tour of the United Kingdom.

Very disappointed to be missing #WWELiveUK …you up for a WrestleMania 30 trip in April, @spencermorgan93 ? See my buddy @BrockLesnar …

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 14, 2013

The WWE Hell In A Cell Kickoff Show will feature the usual “expert panel,” as they have done with all past pay-per-view Kickoff Shows. Tonight’s panel will feature Josh Mathews along with R-Truth, Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn.

As noted earlier today, the match on the Kickoff Show has been changed. Due to an injury, WWE Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel will no longer defend his title against Big E. Langston as originally planned. Instead, “Mr. Money In The Bank” Damien Sandow will take on Kofi Kingston in singles action, as we reported earlier Sunday afternoon.

Make sure to check back here at SESCOOPS.COM later tonight for the best WWE Hell In A Cell live results coverage on the internet. In addition to our usual live results, we will be providing live images from inside the arena during the show tonight as well. Check back here later this evening for the most complete Hell In A Cell coverage on the entire web. Everything officially gets started at approximately 7:15pm E.T. / 4:15pm P.T.

WWE Hell In A Cell Live Results & LIVE IMAGES Tonight –>

– This week on WWE Superstars, Justin Gabriel squares off against Fandango while “Mr. Money in the Bank” Damien Sandow goes one-on-one with R-Truth. Highlights are available here, with complete episodes available on Hulu Plus.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YToVsF3EWTo[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUtBHnpSf_4[/youtube]

– Rosa Mendes was born on this day in 1979 as she turns 34-years-old.

– Daniel Bryan is featured on the cover of the bi-monthly newsstand magazine Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

-The official WWE website recently ran an article on Rey Mysterio’s return. The website covered Mysterio’s appearance at the WWE live event in Tupelo, Mississippi on Sunday night, where he helped R-Truth during a post-match attack from World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio. The article did not, however, cover the fact that Mysterio worked an actual match at the WWE live event in Mexico during the week.

The article also contains a video of Mysterio’s return on Sunday night. You can check it all out online at WWE.com.

-Advertisements for the return of the WWE reality show, Total Divas, have begun. There have been a number of billboards in major cities put up recently, advertising the series return on the E! cable channel on November 17th.

Huge *SPOILERS* For Season Two Of WWE Total Divas — CLICK HERE!

-According to various reports, WWE Superstar Ryback is scheduled to have a program with the new babyface Big E. Langston following his current feud with CM Punk.

-During Sunday’s WWE live event in Tupelo, Mississippi, Rey Mysterio made an unannounced appearance. Mysterio made the save for R-Truth, who was getting beat up by Alberto Del Rio following his loss to the World Heavyweight Champion on the show. Mysterio and Truth both beat up Damien Sandow, who teased cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase during all of the chaos.

Fans interested can check out a complete report from the WWE live event in Tupelo on the main page.

Huge *SPOILERS* For Tonight’s WWE RAW — CLICK HERE!

[Partial Credit: F4WOnline.com]

On Monday’s live edition of WWE RAW, a new match with an added stipulation was announced for the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view, which emanates from Miami, Florida on October 27th.

It was announced by RAW General Manager Brad Maddox that a “Beat The Clock Challenge” would take place to determine whether Paul Heyman or CM Punk would get to select the stipulation for Punk’s match against Ryback at the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view. Ryback would take on R-Truth, while Punk would take on Curtis Axel. Ryback defeated Truth at 5:44, while Punk defeated Axel at 5:33.

It had already been revealed earlier in the night by Heyman that if Ryback won, the match with Punk would be a two-on-one handicap match against both Ryback and Axel. Since Punk won, he decided to keep it a two-on-one handicap match, instead featuring Ryback and Heyman against himself in a Hell In A Cell match.

With that now known, here is an updated look at the official lineup thus far for this year’s WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view:

Vacant WWE Championship
Hell In A Cell Match with Special Referee Shawn Michaels
-Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton

World Heavyweight Championship
-Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. John Cena

Hell In A Cell Handicap Match
-CM Punk vs. Ryback & Paul Heyman

Stay tuned to SESCOOPS.COM for further updates to the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view lineup, and make sure to check back on Sunday, October 27th for the best live results coverage of the show on the internet.

Huge WWE Hell In A Cell Spoilers Revealed For October 27th

As noted recently, WWE Superstar and leader of The Wyatt Family, Bray Wyatt, suffered an injury during a six-man tag-team match at the non-televised WWE live event in Providence, Rhode Island on Saturday night.

The match, which featured The Wyatt Family vs. The Prime Time Players and R-Truth, saw Wyatt chasing Darren Young around the ring, and then bumping awkwardly into the guard rail outside of the ring. According to live reports, Wyatt was carried back to the dressing room by Erick Rowan and Luke Harper, and immediately examined by WWE medical personnel.

According to a new report, Bray Wyatt suffered some sort of calf injury, and not a knee injury, to his right leg. While there aren’t a lot of specific details available at this time, the injury is apparently not a serious one.

Related News: Even More Details On Bray Wyatt’s Calf Injury

[Credit: F4WOnline.com]

-It was announced on a very news-filled edition of WWE RAW on Monday night that one of the main events for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which will be taped on Tuesday night, will be another WWE Battleground rematch, as WWE Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel will defend his title against R-Truth.

-Also announced on RAW was the news that John Cena, who will be returning to challenge Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view on October 27th, will be a special guest on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday morning.

LIVE SmackDown *SPOILER* Coverage On Tuesday + HUGE Cena Update [>>]