Christmas Day has arrived, and people around the world are unwrapping gifts from their loved ones. For the Superstars of WWE, nothing compares to the gift of a championship victory, and a few have had the honor of capturing gold on December 25.

Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins – WWE Raw Tag Team Championships

On the Christmas Day 2017 edition of WWE Raw, Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins defeated The Bar to claim the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships. While both were experienced champions in their own right, this marked the first—and only—reign for the unlikely duo as a team.

Their reign lasted 34 days before ending at the 2018 Royal Rumble, where they dropped the titles back to Cesaro and Sheamus. Unfortunately, this championship win would also be Jordan’s last, as injuries later forced him into retirement. Today, Jordan remains a key figure in WWE as a producer.

Rusev – WWE United States Championship

The December 25, 2018 edition of WWE SmackDown was a celebration of not just one but three special occasions. On Christmas Day, Rusev captured the United States Championship, a victory that coincided with both his birthday and the fan-favorite “Rusev Day.”

This marked Rusev’s third reign as U.S. Champion, which ended at the 2019 Royal Rumble when Shinsuke Nakamura reclaimed the title. Though this victory would be Rusev’s final championship in WWE, the Bulgarian Brute ensured it was a memorable one.

Big E – WWE Intercontinental Championship

In 2020, Big E cemented his solo career during the Christmas Day edition of WWE SmackDown. On that night, he silenced Sami Zayn’s claims of conspiracies by defeating him to win the Intercontinental Championship for the second time.

Big E’s reign lasted 106 days, culminating in a loss to Apollo Crews at WrestleMania 37: Sunday in April 2021. This triumph was only a preview of his future success, as Big E ended the same year as WWE Champion.

New WWE signees have to go through not only rigorous training routines but thorough medical check-ups as well. There are many stories of accomplished performers not being offered a contract if they don’t pass the medical test. However, Miro managed to get signed by the company with a torn ACL.

The former US Champion told this story during the most recent episode of The Kurt Angle Show. He revealed that he had torn his ACL even before his WWE tryout. He couldn’t get it fixed because he had no money. According to the AEW star he went to the WWE tryout with a torn ACL as well, and he wrapped duct tape around his knee:

“I went to WWE developmental with a torn ACL. But they didn’t know that because once again, God, the man up there, Jesus Christ, protected me. I tore my ACL even before I went to developmental. I went to my tryout with a torn ACL. I just wrapped my knee with duct tape. You got to do what you got to do. I tore it one time in practice, and I don’t have the money to fix it. I was just wrestling on a torn ACL, which I’m sure that you have done before.”

• Chris Jericho Reveals He Wrote Rusev’s Debut Promo In AEW

Miro Explains How He Got Through The Medical Testing

After passing the tryout, the next big hurdle for Miro was getting through the medical testing. Detailing how he got through the checkup with the injury, the former TNT champion revealed that the doctor that was going to check on him came in with a student. He was more focused on teaching the student on how things should be. This allowed the former WWE star to slip through:

“I got signed. They send you to these medical checks in Pittsburgh in your hometown. I go, and I lay down because I know they’re gonna come and check this. So I pray. I pray this entire time. Jesus, Lord, Our Father, please let it be ok. I already know that my ACL was torn, and I know that they’re returning people if you’re wrong. So the doctor comes in with a student. The whole time the doctor is kind of pay attention to the student and trying to explain to him things, blah, blah, blah. He sits down. pulls on my knee, pulls on my knee. He says I’m okay. I’m good to go.

I got signed and then later on, in developmental I was still duct-taping my knee and everything. In one match, my knee just gave out. I had somebody on my back [and] my knee gave out. They called me [to] the doctor to check me, to say you have torn ACL and I said, ‘Okay, let’s fix it.'”

If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

Former WWE Superstar Aiden English has commented on Vince McMahon’s belief that the WWE Universe were mocking him and Rusev by chanting ‘Rusev Day.’

Speaking on the Warren Hayes Show, English agreed with Rusev’s previous comments. Rusev stated how “In my mind, I knew it wasn’t true.”

English explained how “the mind that is Vince McMahon is a very wild place.”

He noted Vince’s reaction to chants could be taken two ways: “it literally could just be point face, what it was, or he could have been saying that to try to get Miro, like angry, and like yeah, fire him up.”

He added that he wouldn’t put it past Vince McMahon to try a tactic like this to encourage a Superstar. English opened up about how there always seemed to be a creative hesitation in “pulling the trigger” with himself and Rusev. 

This hesitation led him to believe there could be some truth behind Vince McMahon’s opinion of the chants, even if the reality was drastically different. 

English also believed WWE’s reluctance lay in its desire to build Rusev as a heel at the time: 

“They were trying to push him [Rusev] as a really strong heel, so I get the urge to be like ‘No, let’s not immediately jump into like everybody loves him,’ I get it. You don’t want to jump into anything too fast.”

Regardless, the ‘Rusev Day’ chants would continue gaining popularity week after week. 

Both Aiden English and Rusev were released by WWE earlier this year. Their releases were attributed as a cost-cutting measure to offset the impact coronavirus has had on business.

Former WWE Superstar Rusev/Miro recently appeared on The Ryback Show podcast. The ‘Bulgarian Brute’ would discuss a number of topics from his time with the company; including his ‘Rusev Day’ run, NXT and working with John Cena.

One of the topics brought up by the former Rusev was his idea of bringing more ‘character’ to the Rusev character. Now known as Miro, the former WWE Superstar would talk about not being stuck portraying a ‘one-dimensional’ character in the company.

Miro/Rusev on One-Dimensional Characters

“Well I always wanted to be me, I never wanted to pretend, you know?” Miro would begin on the podcast. “I mean I get it, it’s wrestling, it’s about characters. So I was the evil foreigner and very one dimensional, but I always knew I could do more.”

Miro would then say how he knew what his original Rusev character needed to be, so at the time he just portrayed the role as best he could. “But at the same time? This is my role. Great, I’ll play it through…I’ll play it perfect. But then once I had the opportunity to break out and show myself? I was just, I was ready to do it because I knew I could do more.”

• What WWE Officials Have Told Big E About Plans For His Future

“I feel like people that are multi-dimensional have a lot more longevity” Miro would continue. “[Especially] a lot more than one-dimensional characters. That’s what Dream always taught me, the American Dream Dusty Rhodes. [He would say] body of work baby, body of work.”

“That’s why I wanted to give…that’s why all these characters that we (Aiden English and Lana) did through the years? There was always some kind of a change in it” Miro would finish. “It’s never just the ‘Bulgarian Brute.’ There’s always something different, which at the end of the day, the boss [Vince McMahon] didn’t like I guess!?”

Do you agree with Rusev/Miro? Let us know in the comments

This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw the return of former SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon who was there to introduce a new segment on the show.

Former WWE star Rusev who was released from the company earlier this year took a shot at Shane’s return via Twitter. He made the following tweet, mentioning how it’s opposed to the talks of building new stars:

Shane McMahon was on the show to introduce the concept of Raw Underground which took place in a warehouse-like setting with a ring that had no ropes. You can check out the complete Raw results at this link.

• Also Read: Rusev Says He Is Done With Wrestling

The Riott Squad On Their Future

Tonight’s episode of Raw saw Kevin Owens holding his talk show with the special guest being Ruby Riott. Liv Morgan also came out during the segment and Riott admitted that she was wrong to attack Liv before.

The IIconics then came out as well and the segment set up a match between the two teams. The match saw Liv Morgan picking up the victory for her team.

Both Riott and Morgan were interviewed backstage after the match and when asked about their future, they suggested that this reunion could continue in the upcoming times. You can check out their interview below:

It appears that Rusev is done with the pro wrestling business. 

Since his departure from WWE, there has been a lot of speculation about which promotion he will sign with. The majority of fans speculated that he could land in All Elite Wrestling or New Japan Pro Wrestling. 

However, the former WWE star may have other ideas. Over the last few months, Rusev, real name Miroslav Barnyashev, has been producing content that he puts on Twitch and YouTube. 

In a recent Q&A stream on Twitch, he stated that he has moved on from the business and won’t be wrestling inside of the squared circle anymore. 

“I’m done. I’m done, man. I’m just enjoying my Twitch. I’m a professional Twitcher, YouTuber, content creator,” Miro said. “I’m not a wrestler anymore. Can I be your favorite streamer?”

He did note that he texted Vince McMahon and it was a nice conversation. 

WWE decided to release several wrestlers and staff back in April due to budget cuts. Before the departure, he hadn’t been used much on television following his storyline with Lana and Bobby Lashley. 

Rusev had been reportedly in talks with WWE about a new deal prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which WWE publicly blamed on for the budget cuts. 

• Rusev Reveals He Has COVID-19

Rusev told a great story in a recent video that was posted on his Youtube channel involving Vince McMahon and The Undertaker. 

The former WWE star took on the legendary pro wrestler in a Casket Match at the Greatest Royal Rumble event in 2018.

Originally, WWE had wanted Rusev to face Taker at this show. However, plans changed with Chris Jericho being Taker’s opponent and then a third change was made with Rusev finally being booked against “The Deadman.”

After putting over Taker and stating that not only was it great to wrestle Taker, but it was a dream come true, he recalled Vince McMahon telling him about the match. 

“I thought it was a rib. I got called in the office by Vince. He said ‘Miro, I got you working with The Undertaker in Saudi Arabia’. I’m like (laughs) and ‘I’m winning right?’ That’s exactly what I said, that’s what exactly my reaction was. Because I thought he was joking.”

Rusev noted that he knew at that time he was nowhere near the level of being able to work with such a legendary star. While he had his Rusev Day gimmick going on at the time, he never thought he would wrestle Taker in Saudi Arabia in such a large crowd. 

“So I said and ‘I’m going over, right?’ He was like ‘hahaha.’ He looked at me kind of weird. I’m like ‘Alright sir, I’ll see you next time'”

“Then I went out and Road Dogg goes, ‘why did you act like this?’ I’m like ‘what do you mean?’ He’s like ‘why would you say that?’ I’m like ‘well, he’s joking with me, I would joke back with him, I’m not gonna just sit there.’ He’s like ‘no that’s not a joke, you are actually working Taker.’ I was like, ‘no freaking way! I’m such an a**hole’ Yeah, it was a funny story.”

Rusev then brought up why he was pulled from the match. WWE wanted to turn him babyface and not have him drop a loss to Taker.

Thus, he was pulled, but when the Crown Prince asked why Rusev wasn’t wrestling Taker, McMahon changed the plans for the third time. 

• Rusev On Speculations Of Him Making Appearance At Slammiversary

Rusev is one of the names who have been speculated for an appearance at Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary PPV after the company released a video package teasing the appearance of a former WWE star at their show.

The Bulgarian Brute addressed these speculations during a recent twitch stream, though his response on the matter only seems to entangle the mystery further.

Rusev mentioned how Impact only showed a Bulgarian flag in their promo which means that anyone from the country could make an appearance before saying that he can’t confirm or deny any rumours:

“As I said, any Bulgarian can go and debut,” he said. “They may have another kid from Bulgaria. I keep saying that. Could be anybody. Look, I don’t know why you think it’s me.

I understand why you think it’s me, but I can’t confirm or deny. Or I don’t wanna confirm or deny.” said Rusev “Maybe they wanna pay me a million dollars for one match. Who knows? Maybe I’ll come in.”

There are a number of stars who can be the one behind the promo from Impact Wrestling. We know Gallows and Anderson are in discussion with the promotion and others like EC3 have also teased a return.

The Slammiversary PPV will be taking place at July 18. It will only be days after the non compete clause of released WWE stars expires on July 15 and it would be interesting to see if it’s Rusev or any other star who shows up at the event.

Former WWE Superstar Aiden English recently joined Inside The Ropes for an interview. During the course of their conversation, English talked about his partnership with Rusev and how the two cultivated their connection with the WWE Universe.

Prior to Rusev Day, Aiden pointed out how Rusev had long been positioned as a dominant “big foreign bad guy.”

For the longest time, it worked as a character and clicked with the crowd. He then shared how, out of the ring, Rusev was “such a fun-loving, goofy, funny dude.” Aiden English explained how when he finally saw the chance to let him himself, he went for it. 

According to English, the two of them would ignore pretty much everything that WWE Creative gave them. Instead, they both approached it as an opportunity to be more lighthearted and say “goofy stuff,” which English loved. 

“Even though I’m still doing the singing entrances, with promos and backstages, I was being me as a performer,” English explained. People saw these two characters who for a long time were kinda in these boxes. All of a sudden, we get a chance to play and experiment and be themselves. People saw that and I think that’s what resonated.”

Aiden English and Rusev were both recently released by WWE alongside several other Superstars and backstage personnel. It was a decision made in response to the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on business. 

All Elite Wrestling commentator Jim Ross has talked about the possibility of Rusev joining AEW’s roster. Rusev was recently released alongside several other WWE in-ring talent as well as a number of backstage personnel. 

Ross addressed the concept of Rusev becoming a part of AEW during an episode of his podcast Grilling JR via AdFreeShows.com. He argued how there had to be some “semblance of a reason” that Rusev’s previous push was cut short. Ross then noted that he doesn’t know what that reason could be. He divulged how he had never heard any “scandalous tales” about Rusev. 

Jim Ross Would Consider Rusev A Priority

His experiences with Rusev have led Ross to believe he is a soft-hearted, well-raised person who is polite and decent. Ross then stated how securing Rusev for AEW would be his top priority. “That’s who I’d want to go after first because I can see him having some major pay-per-view main event matches with a variety of top talents in our company AEW. Anyone would be smart to hire him.” 

He shared how he would like to call a high-level Rusev matchup before explaining how a company would “know what you’re gonna get out of the guy.”

With his recent departure from WWE, Jim Ross noted how Rusev now has something to prove. As far as he’s concerned, Rusev is and always has been a legitimate talent that he’s been high on.

Despite her real-life husband being released from WWE earlier this week, Lana has committed to the on-screen storyline between herself, Rusev, and Bobby Lashley.

Lana is still in an on-screen romance with Lashley on WWE programming. Their pairing came off the back of a soap opera-esque storyline that saw her leave Rusev for Lashley. Taking to her Twitter account, Lana shared a video of Rusev yelling at her during a past RAW segment. In it, he is blaming her for his loss to John Cena at WWE’s Payback pay-per-view in 2015.

She accompanied the video with a caption that reads, “I hate to be the person in these trying times but let this be a reminder of who @RusevBUL really is !!! #ThankYouRusev …… NEXT !!!!! #thankunext.”

At the time of writing, Rusev has not reacted to Lana’s message.

The last tweet sent out by Rusev was his farewell message to the WWE Universe. It reads, “Thank you All, Rusev out!”

Lashley has previously shared how he was uncertain whether the storyline between the trio would continue. He believed it lacked a definitive conclusion. He recently suffered a loss at WrestleMania 36 to Aleister Black. This came after taking bad advice from Lana, suggesting that the two may eventually be heading split.

WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has revealed he has suffered an unfortunate bicep injury. He shared the news via his Twitter account.

Hogan accompanied the news with a photograph. The image showcases he is now sporting a full beard rather than his iconic handlebar mustache and five o’clock shadow. In his post, he joked how this injury makes him and WWE Superstar Rusev “long lost brothers!”

“Both of my biceps have been torn at the insertions for 25yrs,today I tore my right bicep where it goes in at my front deltoid,well I guess Rusev and I are long lost brothers! BROTHER. HH damn it burns!!!”

Rusev saw Hulk Hogan’s message and responded, writing, “We are just a couple of Real [American Flag Emoji].” The Superstar recently debuted a new look himself having shaved his head and grown a full beard.

Hulk Hogan’s nWo Hall Of Fame Induction

Hulk Hogan will once again be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He joins as part of the nWo alongside Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman. The nWo joins Jushin “Thunder” Liger, Batista, The Bella Twins, JBL and The British Bulldog in the Class of 2020.

The Hall of Fame ceremony was due to take place during WrestleMania week leading into the show this weekend. The coronavirus pandemic, however, has forced WWE to cancel and reschedule several events related to ‘Mania. The Hall of Fame will reportedly now take place during SummerSlam weekend.

It was recently revealed that Rusev will not be making the trip to Saudi Arabia for Super ShowDown. Rusev had originally been scheduled to take part in The gauntlet match but has since been replaced by Rey Mysterio.

In an update to this story, there are multiple reports surfacing regarding why Rusev will be missing the show. According to a report from PW Insider, Rusev is dealing with a back injury at the moment and that has led to him not being on the show. Recently on Wrestling Observer Radio, however, Dave Meltzer noted that be back injury is the official story but that Rusev has essentially backed away from the show.

“Rusev isn’t going on the trip. The story is an injury,” said Dave Meltzer on the show. “The story is an injury but he backed out of the show essentially, I guess at the last minute.”

• Rusev Removed From Super Showdown Match, Replacement Announced

Rusev was scheduled for the 6-person Tuwaiq Trophy gauntlet match. The match will now pit Andrade vs. AJ Styles vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Erick Rowan vs. R-Truth vs. Rey Mysterio.

Rusev has been reported to have been involved in a contract dispute with WWE. Lana recently signed a new multi-year deal with the company, however.

• Update On Rusev’s Contract Dispute With WWE, Super Showdown Appearance

The ongoing angle between Rusev, Lana and Bobby Lashley is one of the most controversial storylines right now, yet it’s also one of the most talked-about things of WWE programming as well. During a recent interview with Real Talker, the Bulgarian Brute talked about a number of things and he also opened up about this storyline.

The former US Champion was first asked about his reaction to seeing his wife kissing another man and Rusev said that it’s no different than what the actors at Hollywood do. He detailed his comments saying that if you are an actor and a certain role requires you to do something like that then you don’t say no.

• Also Read: Corey Graves Rips Into Rusev, Lana, Bobby Lashley Storyline

Rusev then said that they are all professionals and claimed that he doesn’t think it’s a problem for him at all. Continuing, the former US Champion told the interviewer that he thinks it’s more about Lana because she is the one who has to kiss another guy:

“It was always about her, I always asked her. You know, people always run to me and ask me ‘how are you feeling about this?’ I’m like ‘why are you asking me? Why don’t you go and ask her? She’s the one who is supposed to kiss him every now and again. I’m not kissing a guy.’ … So, kudos to her for being professional. If she didn’t agree to that then we would have done something completely different, right? But here we are, a few months in, and it’s the hottest thing going in WWE.”

• Also Read: Rusev Indicates He Will Be A Free Agent Soon

The whole angle requires all of the involved superstars to show some extraordinary acting skills. During the interview, Rusev also talked about this and said that Vince McMahon actually praised the acting skills he has shown during this storyline. He revealed “Vince pulled me aside and told me this is a great acting performance. I’ve never been complimented on my acting before that.”

Apart from this Rusev talked about his time away from WWE during his shoulder injury in 2017. He revealed that before going into the surgery, he felt like his character wasn’t going anywhere on TV. Due to this, he felt tired of his long-haired look and decided to cut his hair. You can check out his full interview in the video below:

Corey Graves says WWE television is so bad that lately it makes him physically angry. On the latest episode of WWE’s After the Bell podcast, Graves ripped in to the romantic storyline involving Rusev, Lana, Bobby Lashley and Liv Morgan. He feels the performers are giving their best effort, but fans in the arena are silent and apathetic.

Graves began this week’s podcast by stating, “last night I wasted three hours of my life enduring what was an insufferable television show. RAW was not all bad, but it left me with a really bad taste in my mouth.”

He continued, “I watch Monday Night RAW from a very different perspective now. For many years I called every minute of the action and I was kind of stuck in the ‘bubble.’ Whereas now I’m sitting on my couch in Pittsburgh, next to my girlfriend and my dog trying to enjoy Monday Night RAW as a fan. I don’t watch it to pick it apart. Obviously I watch it to talk about things here on After The Bell, because that’s what I get paid to do. But man oh man last night was tough.”

“The entire crowd was silent” – Corey Graves

Corey Graves elaborated further, saying “RAW physically made me angry. I tweeted something to the effect. What really set me off, was the Lana, Rusev and Bobby Lashley segment.”

Graves says it’s not the fault of the talent, who do their best with the material they are provided.

“This is not their fault,” said Graves. “But the shows, as a whole, have just been lacking. And this segment has really set me off. Because I noticed they went to a wide shot; in the middle of a match in this heated rivalry, that has been brewing for months and months in a small eternity. And the entire crowd was silent.”

“It was Complete Apathy”

Corey Graves then began to describe just how much of an inditement this was on the angle itself. “Nobody was moving, nobody was clapping. It was complete apathy, which in this business is the worst thing you can have. You can be cheered, you can be booed sure not everything works. But to have an entire arena full of people, not reacting to anything that was happening is a problem. That’s what piqued my attention. And then it got worse for weeks and weeks and weeks.”

Graves feels that Liv Morgan has been hurt more than she’s been helped by getting involved in this fledgling angle.

“You have been promoting Liv Morgan, and this return. Liv Morgan, who I’ve said on this show in my opinion is a star waiting to be born. She has unusual reveal in the Lana/Lashley wedding which everyone had an opinion on right, wrong or indifferent. Tell me why anyone in the WWE Universe should care about Liv Morgan now?”

It will be interesting to see how the storyline develops going forward. As as been reported recently; Vince McMahon himself has been a huge proponent of the angle. So it likely is not going away any time soon. It is also worth pointing out that the angle has been drawing huge numbers on YouTube over the last few weeks.

Listen to the latest WWE After the Bell Podcast in the embedded player below:

Rusev has fans talking after he indicated through social media that he could be leaving WWE soon. 

Rusev did so when he recently changed his bio on Twitter, which is an indication that he could become one of the top free agents in all of pro wrestling. 

Rusev Indicates Departure?

The bio now reads like this: “soon to be free agent” You can see a screenshot of it here: 

It should be noted that he is known to mess around with fans on Twitter. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on if Rusev really is on his way out of WWE.

Back in November, it was confirmed that Rusev’s wife, Lana, had signed a new five-year deal with the company but his contract is slated to expire.

Although there’s no word yet on if he has signed a new deal, the latest reports suggested that Rusev was still in the middle of contract talks with WWE officials. It should also be noted that there’s no confirmation on when his current deal expires.

Last summer there was speculation WWE could extend the length of the contract because of the days that he missed.

If Rusev doesn’t sign a new deal then the belief is that most promotions – AEW, NJPW, ROH, and Impact Wrestling – would be interested in signing him to a deal. 

On the flip side, if Rusev does stay with the company then he would likely get a big increase in pay and be under contract for five years as that’s what WWE has been doing with talents who have recently signed new deals. 

Over the past few months, Rusev has been in a storyline with Bobby Lashley, who is now aligned and “married” to Lana on television. 

• Jerry Lawler Recalls Vince McMahon Not Wanting To Miss Lana-Lashley Wedding On RAW

WWE legend and current RAW commentator Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler recently made comments regarding the Lana/Rusev and Bobby Lashley storyline on his PodcastOne show. Specifically, ‘The King’ discussed how fans online appear to ‘hate’ the weekly ‘soap’ style segments that are being produced, yet the crowds in the buildings are apparently more receptive to the angle.

“There’s gonna be a big deal, and it’s going to make the show after Christmas the biggest deal ever”

Lawler was discussing the taped show that will be airing next Monday for Christmas week, saying; “I can’t do a spoiler but something happens with Lana, Lashley and Rusev on that show,” Lawler began. “There’s gonna be a big deal, and it’s going to make the show after Christmas the biggest deal ever. You just gotta watch what happens on the Christmas show. It’s going to set up the show after Christmas. It is going to be really awesome.”

“the crowd at the Live Events…the people seem to love it” – Jerry Lawler

Jerry Lawler and his co-host then talked about the controversy that the storyline has garnered and the vitriol towards it online. “We talked about this, it is so funny [in] the live arena in Des Moines there and also at Minneapolis at the PPV; The response from the crowd is great to the Lana, Lashley and Rusev storyline. But online on Twitter and everything people seem to hate it. It gets like no respect, but the crowd at the Live Events…the people seem to love it. So I don’t get that [hate] response. I mean, I think it’s really entertaining, I really do.”

“in wrestling people would get tired of just two guys or two women going out there and having a wrestling match…” – Jerry Lawler

Jerry Lawler elaborated further, discussing the importance of storylines in professional wrestling. “Everybody’s not going to like everything you know. We always talked about this, how the fact is in wrestling people would get tired of just two guys or two women going out there and having a wrestling match [without a storyline]. If you put together nineteen wrestling matches on one night for fans to watch; if there’s not something about those matches to get the fans personally invested…what we call a personal issue. So if there’s not some sort of personal issue behind these matches nobody cares. If you really watch a match everybody does the same stuff you know. There’s the dives off the top rope. There’s the dive over the top rope…it’s all the same stuff every single match.”

WWE Backstage analyst CM Punk returned to the show during last night’s episode. Joining fellow hosts Paige, Renee Young and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, Punk detailed how he would book the current storyline featuring Bobby Lashley, Lana and Rusev.

“They have a match, they have a blow-off, right? I don’t think Rusev wants to be involved with Lana anymore on-screen,” Punk said. “So, Lana and Bobby go off, they do their thing, but, eventually, y’ know what, Lana grinds on the nerves. Bobby is sick of her. So what they do is, he leaves Lana too, they have another divorce, okay? They’re out. She gets another tag team to go after Rusev and Bobby, who have become best friends because they have the familiar: the ex-wife.”

He continued, “They become drinking buddies. This new tag team with Lana in tow go after them, and what they do at WrestleMania…they put Lana in a shark cage, okay, because by WrestleMania the new tag team is already so sick of Lana that the loser of the match gets what’s in the shark cage.”

Punk added that WWE could continue this story past WrestleMania if they wanted to. He noted how he has ideas for Lana, especially for when WWE returns for another show in Saudi Arabia.

After he provided his fantasy booking on-air, Punk took to Twitter to share his suggestion: “Loser keeps @LanaWWE match. Just booked you through mania, chica. You’re welcome. @RusevBUL #WWEBackstage”

This past Monday night on RAW, Rusev and Lana took part in a divorce segment on the show. Rusev ended up putting Lashley through a table, setting up a Tables match between the two of them at this Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view.

If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.

After announcing the first-ever Women’s Tag Team TLC match for the Women’s Tag Team Championships, WWE has confirmed another match for the upcoming show.

This week’s episode of Raw saw Rusev and Lana being involved in a ‘divorce’ segment presided by the WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler.

The couple signed their divorce papers during the segment and the whole angle ended with the Bulgarian Brute putting Bobby Lashley through a table.

After this, WWE announced a tables match between these two for the upcoming PPV event. After the announcement, here is the updated match card for the show:

Updated TLC Match Card

• TLC Match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Charlotte Flair and RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Asuka and Kairi Sane (c)
• SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The Revival vs. The New Day (c)
• TLC Match: Roman Reigns vs. King Baron Corbin
• Tables Match: Rusev vs. Bobby Lashley with Lana
• WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt vs. The Miz
• Aleister Black vs. Buddy Murphy

The TLC PPV this year will take place this Sunday on December 15 from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

News on one match involving a top feud that has been heavily featured on WWE Monday Night RAW that was supposed to take place at Survivor Series but pushed to a later date has surfaced online. 

That match is Rusev vs. Bobby Lashley. This news comes after it was listed among the matches locally advertised to take place at the TLC pay-per-view event last month. 

According to a report by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE had originally planned to announce this match for the Survivor Series pay-per-view event. However, plans changed and it was pushed back to TLC. 

The reason why it was moved from Survivor series to TLC is due to the feeling that the show is already overloaded as most of the card has already been announced. 

Details On Planned Title Match At WWE Survivor Series

The show being overloaded is caused by the 15-person Elimination Matches with WWE NXT, RAW and SmackDown teams. In theory, these matches would have to go 10 to 14 falls each.

Meltzer added that the current plans call for Rusev vs. Lashley to be a non-stipulation match at TLC.

As of this writing, there’s still no word yet on participants for the Team NXT men’s Triple Threat but NXT Champion Adam Cole will likely be the Captain. The reason for that belief is due to him not already being booked in a match that night. 

Team RAW will feature Captain Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, Ricochet and Drew McIntyre, while Team SmackDown will feature Captain Roman Reigns, Shorty G, Mustafa Ali, King Baron Corbin and Braun Strowman. 

Miroslav Barnyashev, better known to wrestling fans as Rusev, says he will definitely go back to Saudia Arabia for future WWE events.

Rusev spoke to the UK Sun recently and denied that anyone from the WWE roster was held hostage in Saudi Arabia following Crown Jewel.

“I don’t think anyone in their rightful mind is going to hold 170 people, American citizens, hostages, I don’t think that’ll reflect well anywhere,” Rusev said.

He continued to talk about how much he enjoys doing the shows in Saudi Arabia.

“I make a lot of money, I will definitely go back,” Rusev continued. He would then to say WWE has broken barriers with women’s wrestling in the country.

“I love it, I love every single trip that we do there, I love how we break barriers with women wrestling there and Lana being able to go,” Rusev continued. “I think it’s a great victory for the company, not just for that, but to open new doors and new opportunities to develop further, it’s just amazing.”

“It’s a great opportunity for us to be ambassadors for entertainers.”

Rusev on Saudi Arabia Travel Delays

Rusev also spoke about the travel delays experienced after Crown Jewel.

“Unpleasant, of course, because we all wanted to go home after being away for over 24 hours,” he described the delay. “We were all ready to get out and we couldn’t.”

“The frustration just grew by each hour and me asking for prayers is nothing new,” Rusev explained his above Tweet. “My father is a pastor, I’m a believer in God, Jesus Christ, our saviour, so I always ask for prayers just because I wanted to go home, not because we were held hostage.”

The full interview with Rusev can be read here.

Rusev has made his return to WWE television and with a new look. 

During Monday’s episode of RAW in Knoxville, Tennessee at the Thompson-Boling Arena on the USA Network, WWE had The Street Profits hold a gender reveal party for the second child of Maria and Mike Kanellis. This is where Maria revealed that they are expecting a baby boy. 

Maria then claimed that the father of the child was Ricochet, which led to Mike slapping the former WWE United Champion and challenging him to a match.

This led to Ricochet beating Mike. Maraia would come out and claim that Ricochet wasn’t the father. Rusev came out and beat him down. 

WWE RAW Results & Live Coverage (9/16)

A quick singles match took place that saw Rusev beat Mike with his finisher. 

Rusev was last seen when he worked the 50-Man Battle Royal at the WWE Super ShowDown pay-per-view event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. He’s also only appeared on a handful of live events since WrestleMania 35.

A few months ago it was reported that Rusev was away from WWE as he requested some time off. It was said that he was unhappy with his position in WWE.

This comes after some of his comments in media interviews and on social media.

The Bulgarian Brute, Rusev, has debuted a new clean-shaven look via social media. This is the first time that Rusev has gone without any facial hair since he debuted for WWE.

The former three-time WWE United States Champion has not featured on WWE programming since their controversial Super ShowDown event on June 7th. He participated in a 50-man Battle Royal that was won by NXT Superstar Mansoor.

His wife, Lana, has also been missing from WWE TV, last appearing on SmackDown Live in April. In that time, she has been utilizing YouTube as a means to connect with fans, embracing a ‘salty’ gimmick as she vents about her issues with WWE and her lack of opportunities. 

“The More You Hang Around, The More You’re Forgotten”

Rusev’s contract with WWE is reportedly expiring soon, and both he and Lana have been vocal about their frustrations with the company. They have previously expressed their issues during an interview with Lilian Garcia for her podcast Chasing Glory. 

During this interview they admitted that “We became so strong and we’re featured but the more you hang around, the more you’re forgotten,” Rusev said. “It doesn’t matter how good you are. I think I’m good. It doesn’t matter what I do. It kind of ends up the same thing.”

After having changed his aesthetic and getting into the best shape of his career, Rusev lamented that he does “all these things but nothing changes. I’m trying to catch Vince’s eye. We pitch, we talk and it never comes to anything.”

Only time will tell if the WWE Universe will be able to watch this new, clean-shaven Rusev on their screens.

Rusev Responds To Reports About His Status

It was reported recently that former United States Champion Rusev, along with his wife Lana is currently on a hiatus from WWE and the duo is not sure about their future.

While he did not deny the first part of this status update, the former NXT Star recently replied to the second part of the report in his own way.

Rusev responded to a tweet mentioning the report and in his response, The Bulgarian Brute claimed that he knows what his next step is going to be:

Top Ten Raw Moments

WWE recently published another top ten moments video from this week’s episode of Raw which features moments such as the match between Drew McIntyre and Cedric Alexander and more.

The list starts with the War Raiders’ match on the show and is topped by former Women’s Champion Sasha Banks’ surprise return and shocking heel turn after which she attacked both Natalya and Becky Lynch:

There is no word yet on what the company is planning for Banks after her return but it looks likely that she will be getting involved in a feud with Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch in near future.

Rusev had a confrontation with the Rock back in 2014 when the Bulgarian Brute was still a heel and he was still being presented as a monster.

During a recent interview with Bulgarian outlet At Cafe, the former United States Champion talked about a number of things and he also revealed that he didn’t know the Rock would be coming out during the segment.

Rusev first said that it was a big surprise. According to him, the whole world didn’t know about the Rock’s return and they (Rusev and Lana) weren’t told about it as well.

Continuing on the topic, Rusev recalled how it was a show in Brooklyn, where they stepped into the ring and started talking about Russia and the usual propaganda.

Suddenly, the Rock’s music hit and the whole arena of 20,000 people went on their feet screaming, and it continued for 10 minutes because the Former World Champion went to every corner.

Later Rusev claimed that feeling the energy of the whole crowd at the time was great and he gets goosebumps just remembering the whole angle.

Rusev was confronted by the Rock during the October 6th episode of Monday Night Raw in 2014 and the whole angle concluded with the Great One attacking the former NXT Star and clearing the ring. You can check out the full angle in the video below: