Who was WWE's breakout star of 2018?

#4 Rusev

WWE's Rusev

Vince McMahon has been accused of living in the past at times, and that certainly bears out with his attitude towards foreign wrestlers. When Vladimir Kozlov made his debut, the Titantron displayed the flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics...the only problem with that is that the USSR ceased to exist over a decade before Kozlov made his debut.

Not to be daunted, McMahon tried again a few years later with Rusev. Though he is actually from Bulgaria, he was pushed as a "Russian super athlete." With the aid of his valet Lana--who eventually became his wife--Rusev enjoyed a monster push and even worked a program against John Cena. He also enjoyed a long undefeated streak.

However, after his initial push, Rusev struggled to find his footing. He was often used as a mid-card gatekeeper, someone who trashed smaller wrestlers lower on the card but still lost to major superstars.

He managed to turn that all around with the invention of a clever catchphrase--It's Rusev Day!--and a major tweak to his character. Rusev also utilized social media to garner attention and legions of new fans. His upbeat, personable character has been far more successful than his previous one, so much so that he wound up wrestling WWE legend the Undertaker in Saudi Arabia.