Rusev immediately made an impact on the main roster once coming up from NXT, and part of that was due to this unique blend of size and agility. It also had to do with his “Bulgarian brute” gimmick, which also included the ravishing Lana as his manager.
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At one time, though, it looked as if the WWE might go a different route with the promising athlete, and you’ll be glad they didn’t.
Rusev and Lana stopped by Chris Jericho’s podcast “Talk Is Jericho” to discuss their life both in and out of the ring (via IWNerd). During the conversation, the topic swayed to Rusev’s character, which he revealed at one time could have been very different. The legendary Dusty Rhodes originally pitched him an idea very different than the indestructible powerhouse fans know now.
“He has given me so many good and bad ideas that you have no idea! He tried to make me a genie. ‘Baby, I see you with that new gear. You look like a genie! I want you to work with that Russian chick, Anya, and she’s going to, baby, rub the lamp and you’re going to – pop – appear!’
It didn’t stop there either, as he actually had Rusev work on some genie promos to sell the gimmick. “He made me do genie promos for the next three weeks. Well, he had the lamp and this kickboxing chick we had back in FCW, she rubbed the lamp and I appeared.” Thankfully they decided to go a different route, one which seems to have worked out better for everyone involved.
Next up for WWE is Fastlane, where Owens defends his Universal Championship against Goldberg. You can see the entire announced card below, and Fastlane airs on the WWE Network Sunday, March 5th.
Universal Champion Kevin Owens vs. Goldberg.
Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman.
Cruiserweight Champion Neville vs. Jack Gallagher.
Raw Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair.
Raw Tag Team Champions Luke Gallows And Karl Anderson vs. Enzo Amore And Big Cass.
Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe
Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax
MORE WWE: Is AJ Styles Out Of WrestleMania Main Event? / John Cena And Nikki Bella Scheduled For Tag Match / What Kevin Owens Wants That John Cena And Roman Reigns Have
