Rusev is officially back in the ring. After spending nearly three months on the sidelines with an injury, the former United States Champion finally wrestled his first match back during WWE’s live event in Honolulu on October 16.
Rusev squared off against Joe Hendry in singles competition at the show. Hendry ultimately picked up the victory, but the bigger story was simply seeing Rusev healthy enough to compete again after his lengthy absence.
The match marked Rusev’s first time wrestling since the July 27 episode of RAW. During his match against Je’Von Evans that night, Rusev landed awkwardly on his neck and experienced numbness in his hands, although he was able to finish the match.
His quick exit afterwards initially led to speculation that he was upset about losing to Evans. CJ Perry later shut that down, explaining that Rusev was in considerable pain and was simply trying to get backstage so WWE’s medical team could examine him.
Things finally started looking up in September when Perry revealed that Rusev had returned to the WWE Performance Center and received medical clearance. She also mentioned that he’d dealt with another health issue during his time away, but confirmed that he was cleared to get back to work.
Rusev wasn’t planning on jumping straight back into competition without getting himself ready either. Perry revealed that he intended to train extensively at the Performance Center and Natalya’s Dungeon 2.0 so he’d be prepared whenever WWE finally called his number.
“Next week he’ll go to Orlando and train in NXT all week long, going to Nattie’s Dungeon 2.0, because when he gets called, he wants to be as snappy, aggressive, fast, and calculative as possible. He wants to live up to being that super athlete.”
Perry also made it clear at the time that getting medically cleared didn’t automatically mean WWE had an immediate television storyline waiting for him. Rusev simply needed to stay ready until the right opportunity came along.
“I think that’s what all it is in WWE. Not everyone is on TV every single week, and you just have to wait for your storyline and opportunity, and then blow it out of the water.”
That opportunity finally came in Honolulu, even if it wasn’t on television and didn’t end with Rusev getting his hand raised. After months of recovery, medical clearance and training, the important part is that Rusev has now made it through his first match back and is officially active again.
What do you think WWE should do with Rusev now that he’s finally back in the ring? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
