What’s the story?
Several big matches have been announced for the Battleground pay-per-view and the fans may get to see a major upset victory at the show. According to Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live, Rusev may defeat John Cena in their flag match in three weeks.
In case you didn’t know....
The rivalry between Cena and Rusev began in 2015 when Rusev interrupted Cena’s interview backstage. Their first match took place at Fastlane and saw Rusev defeat Cena via submission. Cena received a rematch at WrestleMania 31 and defeated Rusev to claim his 4th United States Championship.
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On the latest episode of SmackDown Live, Rusev and Cena returned to TV and fired shots at each other regarding patriotism and the 4th of July. This match would eventually be confirmed by General Manager Daniel Bryan for the Battleground pay-per-view on July 23, 2017.
The heart of the matter
According to Alvarez, the match being a flag match sets up Rusev to win the match without costing Cena and momentum heading into SummerSlam.
The program between Cena and Rusev is rumoured to be a short feud and another rumour suggests that this match is a means for Cena moving on to the next big feud. With these variables in mind, there’s no definite answer on who will win.
What’s Next?
Cena is expected to have a big-time opponent at SummerSlam, so the WWE would probably want the top guy on SmackDown to pick up a win and possibly head into a big program with either the Raw or SmackDown superstars.
Rusev has only managed to defeat Cena once in the history of their feud, so there’s an even greater chance that Cena will defeat him.
Author’s Take
This is speculation at the moment, but a win for Rusev against Cena could do wonders for his momentum. It would be nice if The Bulgarian Brute isn’t just used as a stepping stone for Cena to get ahead. There is lots of potential with Rusev now that he’s on SmackDown Live.
