Though we already shared this news in a spoiler article last week (this special Christmas Day installment of SmackDown was pre-taped), now that the episode has aired we can officially reveal that Rusev is the new United States Champion after defeating a game Shinsuke Nakamura.
The match was an exciting one with a couple of near falls, but in the end, The Bulgarian Brute was able to hit a second Matchka Kick to secure his victory - on his birthday, which just sop happens to fall on Christmas Day, and Rusev Day!
While this is obviously great for Rusev and his fans, we can't help worrying about Nakamura's status in the aftermath of losing the title. The Artist was barely featured on TV when he was the champ, so it seems unlikely that they're going to start doing anything more substantial with him now.
At any rate, let us know what you think in the comments down below, and have a very happy Rusev Day!