– WWE is already talking about ideas for a future feud between John Cena and Rusev. The company is looking to build Rusev up some more before pulling the trigger on a main event caliber program such as that, but ultimately that is where they will be heading at some point down the line.
– The following is the latest edition of the JBL & Cole Show:
Since arriving on the scene, the Bulgarian (now Russian?) Brute (formerly known as Alexander) Rusev has squashed a number of WWE competitors, with a few notable victims including Big E, R-Truth, Xavier Woods, and Kofi Kingston.
Maybe it is mere coincidence that Rusev has squashed nearly every African American superstar on the roster. Others believe that it is deliberate, with rapper Wale being one celebrity/fan to comment on the situation. Still, others believe that the storyline is a way to reboot the Nation of Domination stable that was popular during the Attitude Era.
Many believe that a reboot of the popular stable would battle Rusev and Lana.
Whatever the reason for Rusev taking down almost every African American superstar, the real question is whether a Nation of Domination reboot could work during the PG Era.
As most remember, the Nation of Domination was a stable during the Attitude Era that consisted of Faarooq, Kama Mustafa, D’Lo Brown, and the Rock during its most famous incarnation. Core values of the group included black power and supremacy, as they were loosely modeled after the Nation of Islam and the Black Panther Party.
The group’s extremist beliefs and promos were often controversial in an era that regularly featured characters such as pimps and porn stars, so one can only imagine how the group would be received in today’s youth-oriented product.
With that said, I think the group could still be successful if rebooted, but only if booked as a face group. During the Attitude Era, the group was primarily booked as a heel faction, leading to promos where the group would accuse others of racism, while also accusing other African American superstars of not “being black enough” to gain entry into the Nation. It also led to other promos that many believe exhibited overt racism, such as when DX painted their faces black in order to mock their rivals.
Instances such as the ones just described simply would not fly in today’s WWE, so the stable would have to be toned down a bit. Most importantly, they would have to be booked as a face stable that would not use accusations of racism as a way to draw heat.
Currently there are three matches officially announced for the upcoming WWE Payback pay-per-view on June 1st in Chicago, Illinois. Those matches are The Shield vs. Evolution in a No Holds Barred Elimination match, John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in a Last Man Standing match and Bad News Barrett vs. Rob Van Dam for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Other matches likely for WWE Payback include The Usos vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan for the WWE Tag-Team Championships, Paige vs. Alicia Fox for the WWE Divas Championship, Sheamus vs. Cesaro for the WWE United States Championship, Adam Rose vs. Jack Swagger, Rusev vs. Big E. and Summer Rae vs. Layla with Fandango as special guest referee.
As far as the No Holds Barred Elimination main event, a possible scenario being considered is one that would see Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins eliminated early, leaving Roman Reigns to make a huge comeback on all three Evolution members by himself.
The match will be Batista’s final match in WWE for several months, and based on plans for the future, could be one of Triple H’s last for a while as well.
According to one source, there has been discussions within WWE about the possibility of doing a new version of The Nation Of Domination stable.
The talk apparently originates from the fact that Rusev has defeated Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and R-Truth since debuting on the main roster, and now has his sights set on Big E.
Woods, in fact, even teased at a possible Nation Of Domination type faction being formed, as he tweeted out a photo of the original Nation Of Domination group doing the fist gesture together.
(Credit: F4WOnline.com)
In response to an article at DailyBeast.com about WWE using Rusev and Lana to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin into WWE storylines, WWE issued the following statement to the website:
“WWE programming, like Hollywood movies and television shows, is an exciting blend of action, characters and fictional storylines of good versus evil that are often inspired by pop culture and current events.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has given us good material to work with to create strong characters in Rusev and Lana, who are perceived as either protagonists or antagonists depending on where in the world you are watching WWE programming.”
WWE kicks off their European tour today with their first stop in Glasgow, Scotland. With Daniel Bryan off of the tour due to injury, here is the updated list of talent that is scheduled for this part of the tour: Kane, The Shield, Big E, Rob Van Dam, Bad News Barrett, Big Show, Randy Orton, Mark Henry, Ryback, Curtis Axel, Paige, Layla, Fandango, Cameron, Naomi, Jack Swagger, Zeb Colter, Sin Cara, Rusev, Lana and more.
Originally, Bryan vs. Kane in a “Last Man Standing” match was being advertised, but with Bryan’s injury, that is obviously off the table. As of right now, no new opponent or match for Kane has been announced.
Also advertised for this leg of the tour is a six-man tag-team match featuring The Shield vs. Randy Orton, Ryback and Curtis Axel.
– For those unaware, Alexander Rusev, who as previously reported will be going by just “Rusev” from now on, is actually dating his manager Lana in real life.
– WWE has been discussing the idea of giving wrestlers time off to recharge and heal up as a strategy for down the line. There is some trepidation on the part of some, with the feeling that it would make running split-crew live events harder with a depleted roster.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
The following are highlights from a recent Q&A update by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On Daniel Bryan running from Kane on RAW: “I can only assume that DB running away was to protect his wife as I don’t know any other reasonable explanation.”
On his relationship with Eric Bischoff: “My relationship with Eric is good and I will be interviewing him on a Ross Report podcast soon. I think that he’s moved on to other things from pro wrestling.”
On if WWE should have put the U.S. title on Rusev instead of Sheamus: “No…Rusev is too green to carry a championship match and needs to remain on a deliberate pace with constant coaching to allow him to grow into a star. He has potential and I like the package with Lana.”
On Extreme Rules not being very “extreme”: “In a PG world it is increasingly difficult to be “Extreme.” It might be time to re-evaluate that theme within WWE.”
On a CM Punk return to WWE: “I don’t see CM Punk returning to WWE any time soon, if ever. He’s enjoying life and there is life outside and beyond wrestling.”
Check out more JR Q&A updates at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.