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Rusev took a break during the summer of 2019 and returned in mid-September, but his wife and manager, Lana, was nowhere to be seen. He had no comment when asked about it, and that's where the trouble started. Just 2 weeks after what seemed like a triumphant return and a jump to the top of the card (he was helping and teaming with Seth Rollins), Bobby Lashley made his return after his own short hiatus and revealed a surprise. He knew where Lana was: with him.
It has been a sordid tale, becoming more and more risque as the weeks have gone by. Lana and Lashley appeared together in Lana & Rusev's bedroom, and the next week, Lana received a very... suggestive... massage from Lashley. Lana's new boyfriend brought her to restaurants that Rusev either couldn't afford or just wouldn't bring her to and then, after all of this, they took an extraordinarily raunchy turn.
Lana accused Rusev of being a "lovemaking" addict, claiming that he never loved her and just wanted to get her pregnant. This week on RAW, Rusev was humiliated and beaten down again. Without getting into great detail, Lana claimed to be pregnant (with Rusev's baby), Lashley beat Rusev up (again), and then Lana immediately revealed that she wasn't pregnant. She used some very non-PG language, too. Bobby Lashley has physically and mentally gotten the better of Rusev every single week.
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There's the rundown. After 6 weeks, it appears that this storyline could be nearing its conclusion.
#5 Lashley beats Rusev in a match and breaks up with Lana
It seems very likely that Rusev and Lashley are on their way to a one-on-one match at Survivor Series. If that happens, it could mark the end of the relationship for the newest couple in WWE. This storyline has gotten a lot of eyes on Bobby Lashley. Whether people love it or hate it, they're paying attention. It is certainly possible that the Superstar has been using Lana and Rusev as a stepping stone for better things.
Since his return in April 2018, Lashley hasn't found his groove. He won the IC Title a pair of times, but he has spent most of his time in weird storylines (not unlike this one) and has yet to do anything impactful. Due to this, he may be frustrated. What's one thing in Sports Entertainment that has always gotten people talking? A love triangle. Lashley surely knows that, so he may be taking advantage of the married couple to garner some attention for himself, so that when he makes a move to try to advance up the totem pole, people have him in their minds. A win over Rusev followed by coldly crushing Lana's heart would certainly do that.
#4 Lana and Lashley have a wedding
In the complete opposite of the previous entry, WWE could go even further with this storyline and take it up to an entirely different level. The stakes have indeed risen every single week. First there was a kiss, then a trip to the bedroom, and a suggestive massage. After that, it was revealed that the Lashley-Lana relationship wasn't only physical. Bobby had also been taking Lana out to expensive restaurants and she even claimed that they were in love.
Maybe they are. It's possible, especially since this is pro-wrestling we're talking about, that while Lana was originally using Lashley as a way to get back at Rusev for cheating on her (maybe she's being truthful about it). In the 7-weeks that Lashley and Lana have been "seeing" each other, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the two have grown a strong affinity for one another, and they truly have fallen in love.
In the real world, some people really do fall in love very quickly and are married soon after they start dating. In the world of professional wrestling, this process can often be sped up to accommodate the story that is being told. What if, at Survivor Series, Lashley gets down on one knee and proposes to Lana after defeating Rusev? That would cause one heck of a stir, and might even bump up the ratings for the episode of RAW that the wedding is scheduled to take place.
#3 Lana ends up all alone
If Bobby Lashley is actually using Lana and Rusev as a way to get people to pay attention to him in order to propel his career to new heights, and Rusev refuses to forgive Lana and doesn't take her back, where does that leave the 'Ravishing Russian?'
Alone.
It's a dangerous game that Lashley and Lana are playing. That could be an important word. Is Lana playing Lashley? Is Lashley playing Lana? Could they possibly be playing each other and neither of them realize it? No matter what the case, if Lashley is using Lana, then she could be left out in the cold.
It is possible that Rusev could take her back. It's been made clear during the entire storyline that, even though Lana is hurting him very deeply, Rusev is still very much in love with his wife and wants to be with her. He could accept her apology, they could take a break from the rigors of the road, and come back revitalized as a strong team, maybe even with the return of Rusev Day and Lana Day.
Probably not, though. Lana may find herself without Lashley and without Rusev. Would she disappear from TV for good? Would she find a new man to accompany to the ring? Maybe she could go back to training and become a wrestler. Lana may have to consider her options, if neither man will have her.
#2 Rusev defeats Lashley and rejects Lana
There hasn't been a single time since this storyline began that has seen Rusev get the upper hand on Lana and Lashley. The night in which the new couple revealed themselves together in Lana and Rusev's bedroom, he did ruthlessly attack Randy Orton and Baron Corbin, which was a bit of a victory for Rusev, but that was only the second week of the story, and we're 6-weeks in! Not only that, but it wasn't revenge on Lashley. He did get a hold of Lashley and knocked him down a few times, but after being distracted by Lana, Bobby and his new girl wound up standing tall once again.
It's been a brutal return for Rusev. He was gone for a full 4 months, and only 2-weeks after his return, which appeared to involve a move toward the top of the card on RAW, the Lana-Lashley bombshell was dropped on him.
How could Rusev possibly forgive his wife? Based on his complete lack of response when Charly Caruso asked him where Lana was, it seems apparent that during his 4-month hiatus there was some trouble in paradise that led to this entire situation. If Rusev isn't in the wrong here and didn't cheat on his wife, and Lana is only doing all of this to torture Rusev for something that she perceives as a wrongdoing by her husband, why should he take her back?
I can imagine that Rusev may finally get his revenge by beating Bobby Lashley in very convincing fasion at Survivor Series, after which Lana tries to reunite with her husband. He refuses because she has been tormenting him for no reason for months, regains a little bit of dignity, holds his head high, and moves on with his life and his career.
#1 Rusev was in on it all along
Is it possible that this has been some sort of scheme from the beginning? This may be a difficult pill to swallow, especially since Lashley and Rusev, until Septemer, never once crossed paths. Why would they do this? Does it bring them full circle and make them a pair of heels like they were upon Rusev's debut? Is Lashley still somehow in the wrong, making him and bad guy, Rusev and Lana the good guys, and the couple stronger than ever both on TV and off?
There are a lot of questions to be asked about this ending, but there are a few possible answers, too. Just like Lashley may be using Lana to get eyes on him and advance his career, maybe Rusev and Lana are doing the same, just to him. Rusev has had the fans strongly behind him for a number of years, yet for some reason he continues to be overlooked by the powers that be. Is this a way to lash out and get the people in charge to pay attention? Maybe.
Did Lashley make a pass at Lana at some point during the time all three of them were off TV (or shortly before any of them left), causing the married couple to devise a heinous scheme that they would put into action upon their return? It would be a heck of a way to get the crowd to hate them, but it would be much more effective if Lashley were a babyface, because why would WWE expect the audience to take his side after all of the debauchery? It's not impossible.
The most likely way that this conclusion could make sense is as follows: WWE could make Lashley a sympathetic character. Lana has been known to be very persuasive over the years, and she and Rusev may have chosen Lashley because after his feud with Braun Strowman, he was physically and emotionally hurt, which made him an easy target. Lashley disappeared from TV for a couple of months after his brutal feud with Strowman, and may have felt like a broken man. Lana and Rusev, especially Lana, have never truly been "good". The crowd fell in love with Rusev Day, but maybe he was using the newfound adoration just to make money off of the idiots buying shirts?
It may not work for anyone, it may work for only one of the two parties involved, or it could end up making everyone stronger. The entire storyline has been a big gamble as it is, so maybe WWE put all of their chips on the table and it will actually pay off.
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