Conrad Thompson and Jim Ross recently discussed the huge number of WWE Superstars released by the company during what's been dubbed "Black Wednesday" and, as you might expect, Rusev was one of the names that quickly came up during their conversation. The Bulgarian Brute could and should have been pushed as a top star in WWE (there were ample opportunities), but it just never happened.
For what it's worth, Ross believes Rusev could finally achieve the level of stardom he deserves in All Elite Wrestling. "I think that Rusev is the kind of guy that you can bring in and he’d be a great contender for any title. Would I like to see a Moxley/Rusev match? Of course, I would. I’m a wrestling fan, why wouldn’t I? To me, he would be my priority."
Making it clear it's not something he's discussed with anyone in AEW, Ross added: "Our fans are hearing it from me first out of my head. But he’s the kind of guy – they missed on him. WWE missed on Rusev and they gave him a great build, the invested...and they just all of a sudden boom. I don’t know what was the reason for the boom. He worked on his body, he’s lean and he looks great, he’s young."
"There’s got to be some semblance of a reason that the massive push for him was cut short," he continued. "I don’t know what that reason is. I’ve never heard any scandalous tales about the guy. I find him to be a soft-hearted, well-raised guy. Meaning he’s polite and he’s a decent human being. Rusev would be my priority."
It would be crazy for All Elite Wrestling not to hire Rusev as soon as they possibly can, but we don't know what the future holds in store for him right now. He's been unhappy in WWE for a while now, though, so the former United States Champion is bound to look to make a name for himself elsewhere.
We'll keep you guys updated!