Bengaluru, July 12: Rusev is the current number one contender for WWE Championship. He won a huge Gauntlet Match on Smackdown Live to earn the rights. This is the first time that the promising talent will have an opportunity to compete in a prime championship match. He has waited for this opportunity for the last two years.

There was never a doubt about the talent that Rusev possesses. But he was barred from the main event scene due to some backstage obstacles. Rusev has always been an outspoken superstar that automatically dragged him to troubles in recent times. He was also forced to sacrifice a match against the Undertaker at Greatest Royal Rumble.

The backstage obstacles was the main reason WWE official did not give him the opportunity despite the success of 'Rusev Day’ gimmick. This is still one the most popular chants in the WWE right now despite some roadblocks. Now as the contender’s spot has been secured by him, the chants are likely to be even louder.

This will increase the merchandise sales of the Bulgarian Brute which often decides the reigning champions in the company. It’s almost certain that Rusev should become the new WWE champion at Extreme Rules, judging from that perspective.

There is also lack of valiant names present on the Smackdown roster that could dethrone AJ Styles from his title reign. Daniel Bryan is not expected to receive a push until he signs a new contract and another name, Samoa Joe is still not a bonafide main-event star to pick up the title, as well. In contrast, fans will shower Rusev with praise if he wins the title at Extreme Rules.

Critics might say that this might not be the ideal time for Rusev to pick up the title since the biggest event of the summer is coming. SportsKeeda had a suitable response to them,

“Some fans might say "Rusev isn't a big enough star to be champion at SummerSlam", but Jinder Mahal was champion at SummerSlam last year, and fans like Rusev way more than Mahal, so I doubt many fans would complain if Styles drops the belt to Rusev.”



There’s no doubt that AJ Styles is the perfect name for carrying the Smackdown brand with the title around his waist. But we can’t deny that a long championship reign has made things stale for him. Starting a new title run with Rusev would certainly bring some freshness into the storylines. We expect this to happen when these two collide at Extreme Rules on July 15th.