SmackDown LIVE were the big winners in WWE’s superstar shake-up as they snagged some big names from Monday Night RAW.While Dean Ambrose and The Miz were big losses, Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon welcomed The New Day, Charlotte Flair and Kevin Owens to the blue brand and managed to keep hold of the likes of AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura.

RUSEV ARRIVAL

However, another big move flew under the radar when Rusev was also revealed as someone who would now be appearing on the Tuesday night show – but we’re still waiting for him to debut.

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He’s been injured but has reportedly been cleared to compete, so the waiting game could almost be over in terms of The Bulgarian Brute returning on television.

If the original plans went ahead, then Rusev may have been competing for the WWE Championship, or could have held the Money in the Bank briefcase. But as we know, plans consistently change in WWE and Baron Corbin is now Mr. Money in the Bank.

Rusev was trolling fans throughout the SmackDown-exclusive event last Sunday, teasing that he’s going to appear but revealed he was playing a video game. While it isn’t clear just when WWE will pull the trigger on a televised return – as he’s competed on live events already – his plans may have been revealed.

SmackDown LIVE is seen as the land of opportunity, something Jinder Mahal capitalised on when he became WWE Champion and it’s thought that Rusev could achieve a lot more on SmackDown than he has on RAW.

RUSEV PLANS

However, if rumours from Cageside Seats are to be believed then Rusev will be entering the United States Championship picture upon his return.

While competing for a championship is an incredible opportunity, you can’t help but think that he’s already achieved what he can at that level where he proved to be a dominant monster, culminating in a WrestleMania 31 loss to John Cena.

The Prizefighter is the current champion, and it looks unlikely that Rusev will engage in a feud with him as they are both heels, so that means Owens could drop the title to a face relatively soon to kick start a new rivalry.

A feud with Shane had also been teased when he demanded a WWE Championship match, and some sources speculated that it would result in a SummerSlam match, but that also looks like it won’t be happening.

Rusev has proven he can be trusted with his booking, as he’s one of the most hilarious stars around when he needs to be and can also be a despicable heel, so hopefully this acts as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

What do you make of WWE’s plans for Rusev when he returns? Have YOUR say in the comments section below and the third episode of GiveMeSport’s WWE podcast is here! Check it out via this link. https://soundcloud.com/user-818579649/gms-wwe-podcast-all-the-fallout-from-wwe-payback

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