Rusev Pulled From WWE Super ShowDown, Replaced by Rey Mysterio

WWE announced on Monday night that Rusev would not be making the trip to Saudi Arabia for [...]

WWE announced on Monday night that Rusev would not be making the trip to Saudi Arabia for Thursday's Super ShowDown event, as he had been replaced in the six-man Tuwaiq Trophy gauntlet match by Rey Mysterio. The reason behind his absence from the match changes depending on who you ask. PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported it had to do with Rusev's contract dispute with the company from earlier this month, while Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer said the storyline on TV is an injury even though Rusev voluntarily pulled himself from the match

"The story is an injury, but he backed out of the show, essentially," Meltzer explained on Wrestling Observer Radio. "You know it was at the last minute because on the graphic during Raw for the match it was Rusev, but they said Mysterio is in the match."

Rusev reportedly still has "plenty of time" left on his current WWE contract, though he did not sign a new deal at the same time Lana signed her extension back in November. The former United States Champion has been in a feud with Lana and Bobby Lashley since late September, and while fans panned the storylien it did manage to turn "The Bulgarian Brute" back into a babyface.

"I feel like it's real, man. I think it's organic," Rusev said in an interview with ComicBook.com back in December. "After the first Rusev Day run, we did great, and all of a sudden, there was nothing for it for one reason or another. But, and then after that was done, I wanted to kill Rusev Day forever. I wanted to be done, I hate like repeating stuff, right? But at the same time, now the people have embraced it so well that, I mean, I can't fight it.

"If that's what they want, of course I'm gonna give 'em what they want, because I care what they think," he continued. "And I want them to be happy every time when they see me. When I leave, I want 'em to be like 'Man, Rusev, Rusev Day.' So yeah, we're full on running with it. And I love seeing it, I love all the fan support, and it's just amazing to see that something can be gone for so long. And with peoples' love and appreciation they bring it back. And now it's running wild, brother."

Check out the full Super ShowDown card below:

  • WWE Universal Championship: Bray Wyatt vs. Goldberg
  • WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar vs. Ricochet
  • SmackDown Women's Championship: Bayley vs. Naomi
  • Raw Tag Team Championships: Seth Rollins and Murphy vs. The Street Profits
  • SmackDown Tag Team Championships: The New Day vs. The Miz and John Morrison
  • Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin (Steel Cage)
  • AJ Styles vs. Andrade vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Erick Rowan vs. R-Truth vs. Rey Mysterio(Gauntlet Match)
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