I think Rusev's one of my favourite people on the roster.

["Gentleman" AJ Powell]

He's great in the ring, looks like a star and whilst his mic skills aren't amazing, they're perfect for his character. I prefer the occasional awkward, stunted English lines after Lana talks to him being able to talk perfect English with an accent.

I mean, I wasn't too sure about him on NXT, but he's been awesome since getting onto the main roster.

[Mozenrath]

I think I've been one of his more vocal fans, to the point of often being annoying likely, but I like him a lot. He is someone with a lot of talent and potential who I think has grown into his role and vindicated them for giving him this chance, plus him and Lana are an unusual but cute couple, to me.

[Instant Classic]

I remember when I first heard Umaga speak English when feuding with CM Punk, I was like what the hell?


But yeah, any talk of Rusev becoming a comedy after this should never happen.

[Deleted]

He's damn good, but I can't enjoy him nearly as much as I'd like due to his terrible gimmick.

["Gentleman" AJ Powell]

Nov 7, 2014 8:09:26 GMT -5 Instant Classic said:

I remember when I first heard Umaga speak English when feuding with CM Punk, I was like what the hell?


But yeah, any talk of Rusev becoming a comedy after this should never happen.

IMO, Umaga shouldn't have talked. He was supposed to be a savage, it made more sense to just have a handler do it for him. Rusev though, it makes sense for him to know a little bit, but not be fluent.

[Chip]

Agreed completely. He's one of the few things I look forward to on RAW now. He's almost everything I look for in a wrestler and his storyline fascinates me. If I had more faith in the WWE creative process I'd have said this storyline was genius. An experiment in how long you can present villainous actions as heroic until the audience starts to question the presentation. Sadly it seems that people will unquestionably cheer anyone draped in the red white and blue, which is honestly interesting in of itself. Rusev is the foreign heel that is finally getting wins over American patriotism and I love him.

[mizerable]

Nov 7, 2014 8:13:26 GMT -5 "Gentleman" AJ Powell said:

Nov 7, 2014 8:09:26 GMT -5 Instant Classic said:

I remember when I first heard Umaga speak English when feuding with CM Punk, I was like what the hell?


But yeah, any talk of Rusev becoming a comedy after this should never happen.

IMO, Umaga shouldn't have talked. He was supposed to be a savage, it made more sense to just have a handler do it for him. Rusev though, it makes sense for him to know a little bit, but not be fluent.

Agreed. I thought adding a voice to a gimmick that had alteady worked, watered it down.

Then again, he did have Samoa tattooed on his chest.

[Jedi-El of Tomorrow]

The guy is fantastic in the ring.

I think the WWE is setting him up perfectly to succeed. He's been winning his matches clean, so there's no question about his dominance. He also had the segment with The Rock, where Rock put over both Rusev and Lana.

[Cvslfc123]

I'm glad he now showing more emotion and expressions rather than looking bored all the time a few months ago

[Allison Reynolds]

I liked him since I first saw him in the Royal Rumble this year. I like him better with Lana along side him. I feel glad knowing others are finally warming up. Now cue some folks coming in to say "nope", haha.

[Deleted]

I've been a big proponent of Rusev ever since he debuted on the main roster because of his very unique blend of abilities. In-ring, he's excellent by any standard. His selling is second to none, and his offense is balanced between looking crisp and looking brutish (a brawler and powerhouse who doesn't botch).

As far as his ability to speak, he's actually fairly good. His advantage in this niche is not so much what he says, but he has a burly Balkan voice that stands out. When Rusev talks, you know who's speaking, because nobody else sounds anything like him.

[N E O G E O B O Y S]

I like all his mannerisms, from the Little dancing where it seems that he is blessing the ring, to his setup for the accollade, and his kicks look cool

[saintpat]

Nov 7, 2014 8:13:16 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

He's damn good, but I can't enjoy him nearly as much as I'd like due to his terrible gimmick.

If by "terrible" you mean "gimmick that is over with the crowd and gets real heat," then we agree.

I don't have to like a gimmick to see that it's working. Or I can tell myself that a particular gimmick is dated and stupid and will never get over ... and be completely wrong.

It's good to see a heel really get heel reactions. And I've been in the crowd more than once when he has wrestled and it's not "stupid, blind, patriotic, pro-American, anti-foreign" heat -- anymore than it was the same when Americans booed Shawn or Canadians booed Bret. They are booing because he's a heel and has been presented as such and they enjoy having a bad guy to be against.

[Deleted]

Nov 7, 2014 9:23:44 GMT -5 saintpat said:

Nov 7, 2014 8:13:16 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

He's damn good, but I can't enjoy him nearly as much as I'd like due to his terrible gimmick.

If by "terrible" you mean "gimmick that is over with the crowd and gets real heat," then we agree.

I don't have to like a gimmick to see that it's working. Or I can tell myself that a particular gimmick is dated and stupid and will never get over ... and be completely wrong.

It's good to see a heel really get heel reactions. And I've been in the crowd more than once when he has wrestled and it's not "stupid, blind, patriotic, pro-American, anti-foreign" heat -- anymore than it was the same when Americans booed Shawn or Canadians booed Bret. They are booing because he's a heel and has been presented as such and they enjoy having a bad guy to be against.

Sure, it's over, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it, which is all that matters to me.

[saintpat]

Nov 7, 2014 9:25:02 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

Nov 7, 2014 9:23:44 GMT -5 saintpat said:

If by "terrible" you mean "gimmick that is over with the crowd and gets real heat," then we agree.

I don't have to like a gimmick to see that it's working. Or I can tell myself that a particular gimmick is dated and stupid and will never get over ... and be completely wrong.

It's good to see a heel really get heel reactions. And I've been in the crowd more than once when he has wrestled and it's not "stupid, blind, patriotic, pro-American, anti-foreign" heat -- anymore than it was the same when Americans booed Shawn or Canadians booed Bret. They are booing because he's a heel and has been presented as such and they enjoy having a bad guy to be against.

Sure, it's over, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it, which is all that matters to me.

We quibble over terms, but "I don't enjoy" is not the same as "terrible." If it was terrible, it wouldn't be over. Lots of things don't appeal to me, but that doesn't mean they are terrible, it means they don't appeal to me.

[froggyfrog]

Rusev is great. Lana and him are perfect for their roles and there over. The whole acts fantastic

[Thaal Sinestro]

His mic skills are great. I don't care what anyone says.

[Mozenrath]

Nov 7, 2014 10:00:03 GMT -5 Thaal Sinestro said:

His mic skills are great. I don't care what anyone says.

I think people here would be likely to agree, if for no other reason than Big Show groin kicks.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

I think at this point he could turn face down the road without becoming a joke. He's getting better at improvising in the ring and is really committed to the gimmick, and as the rises of guys like Bryan and Wyatt showed, marks and casual fans know talent when they see it too.

[Session Moth is over]

Nov 7, 2014 8:13:16 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

He's damn good, but I can't enjoy him nearly as much as I'd like due to his terrible gimmick.

This is basically word for word what I was going to post.