#2 As part of the McMahon family's series of changes

Vince, Stephanie, and Shane McMahon, with Triple H, announced that they would be taking over RAW and SmackDown Live, eliminating all middlemen.
They confessed that they'd, for a while, stopped listening to the fans. They promised that WWE will be heeding what the fans want and would actually give them exactly what they've been asking for, from the WWE brass.
Pushing superstars like Rusev must have been high on the agenda, in this very regard. Rusev is one superstar who's always had fan support, but never the opportunities that support should ideally warrant.
By having him win the United States Championship, the McMahons rewarded the WWE Universe with a new year gift.
I must say that this is a positive development. Let's hope that Rusev also gets the run that he deserves.