#4 Rusev
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The Bulgarian Brute has more than decent mic skills, so why is he still on this list?
It is mostly a consequence of his failed gimmick as a foreign monster heel who inadvertently, talks too much. With Lana by the ringside, the pair draws obvious comparisons with Ivan Drago and his wife, Ludmilla from Rocky IV.
The image generates sufficient heat from audiences, which has never been as prominent as during his United States Championship Run, and continues to be.
Upon his debut in Raw in 2014, he had provided a glimpse of his powerhouse persona by squashing Zack Ryder all around the ring before getting him to tap to a modified camel clutch, the Accolade.
The ruthlessness and monstrosity persisted for a period that was marked by a string of victories, in a fashion reminiscent of one Vladimir Koslov.
Rusev, trained in numerous wrestling styles, is an excellent worker in the ring.
Yet his gimmick as the destructive foreign heel has grown stale by overuse. It seemed, besides Lana, to be the only act in Rusev’s ring performance that elicits heat and admiration from the stands.
There have been almost negligible changes to his character, other than a love quadrangle story involving him, Lana, Summer Rae and an over Dolph Ziggler and a disastrous stable run with the ill-fated League of Nations.
Moreover, with the death of kayfabe, Rusev’s anti-American wrecking machine is an illusionary, withering sight for the sorest eyes. This man deserves better booking and character handling, than just becoming fodder to a patriotic Roman Reigns.
