As many know by now, Rusev was unable to compete at the WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view due to a lower leg injury he sustained while taping for an episode of WWE Smackdown recently.
After the taping, Rusev was spotted walking on crutches with a boot on his leg which left many doubting of the Bulgarian Brute's ability to compete. As it turned out, Rusev failed to get medical clearance and was eventually replaced by Mark Henry.
Had it not been for the injury to his right foot, Rusev would have had a perfect chance to snag another WWE title. For those who are unaware, Rusev was the former United States Champion before falling to John Cena at Wrestlemania 31. The loss also snapped his undefeated streak and things have not been the same for him since.
The untimely injury may have also put his WWE storyline on hold. Rusev is currently in the middle of a feud with Dolph Ziggler, the new man that former handler Lana has aligned herself with. Lana left Rusev after the Bulgarian Brute placed the blame on the ravishing Russian for his various losses to Cena and earned a big slap on the face during a RAW episode.
The current injury to Rusev may seem like a minor setback but his seemingly once invincible stature may have been tarnished.
Rusev undoubtedly lives up to his billing as the Bulgrian Brute, a force to reckon with and someone the WWE hyped to be indestructible, as singled out by Hollywood Wallace on CSS. But that was until Rusev proved to the world that he was human after all, no thanks to the celebrated foot injury that will keep Rusev in the sidelines for the time being.
For now, there is no word on when Rusev will return. He was not given clearance by the medical team for WWE EC though many believe he will be up and about in no time.
The hope is that Rusev could return in the coming weeks. A long layoff due to injury could be detrimental to the Bulgarian Brute. His stature cannot be compared (yet) to the likes of Randy Orton or Daniel Bryan, two superstars who have been in and out of the WWE scene and yet return to the WWE Universe’s delight.
The longer that Rusev is out, the harder it will be for him to rise among the ranks of the WWE roster. His career could suffer a severe blow and make his return a rough one, something any athlete and/or competitor does not want to happen.