Rusev Undergoing Surgery
WWE Fastlane was a highly criticized event, with several matches seemingly designed to waste time. One such segment was the apparent break-up of the hodgepodge alliance of Rusev and Jinder Mahal. The duo came to blows and had impromptu matches against random, unannounced opponents. Jinder Mahal faced off against Cesaro and lost in under 10 minutes to the Swiss superstar. Rusev faced off against the Big Show, who performed three chokeslams and his finisher, the KO Punch, before pinning the Bulgarian.
Many were left incensed by this decision, but it was overlooked and forgotten when even more questionable booking decisions occurred, such as Charlotte losing her pay-per-view win streak, Braun Strowman eating his first pinfall, and Goldberg squashing Kevin Owens in under 25 seconds for the WWE Universal Championship.
However, when asked by a fan about why the match went the way it did, Big Show claimed that Rusev is undergoing shoulder surgery.
Earlier reports claimed that management was unhappy with Rusev’s decision to cut his hair and that his poor showing at Fastlane was punishment for changing his look without seemingly consulting the boss or any of the people behind management. However, if what Big Show said is to be believed, then that debunks any and all rumors of backstage heat on the Bulgarian.
If Rusev is indeed to be out of action, then it makes sense then for him to look strong before his supposed match with Shaquille O’Neal. At first many were unsure if the match was taking place at all, especially with Big Show claiming that Shaq was backing out of the match.
Show called Shaq fat, claiming he was “450 pounds” while he himself was 379 pounds. He also said that Shaq “looked like Jabba the Hutt,” and he was “too busy eating at Krispy Kreme.”
“He has to figure things out in his own camp. Maybe he is just too scared to show up because he’s too busy riding around singing karaoke with John Cena and going to Krispy Kreme and getting fatter every week…
“It’s on him. He has to weigh these consequences in his own mind. Does he want the world to know how fat and out of shape he is? Or does he want to sit back and talk s*** into a podcast?”
Shaq however, fired back at these claims, saying that “it wasn’t his fault” and that he still “looked better than Big Show.”
“It’s not my fault, that’s all you need to know. It ain’t my fault. It’s not totally off yet but it’s not looking good. But it doesn’t matter, I’m still working out and I still look better than Big Show. I’ll still meet him wherever he wants to meet me.”
As for Rusev, if he is indeed injured or just underwent shoulder surgery, it would explain then why he is not being advertised for any upcoming events for next week. Both Raw and live event pages advertise superstars who will be making appearances, and Rusev is conspicuously absent from these lists.
Right now, it is currently unclear just how much time he is taking off. He seemingly does not have a storyline going into Wrestlemania 33, so even if he does recover in time, he is unlikely to play any prominent role. He might be featured in the annual “Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal”, or even be relegated to the pre-show. That is, of course, if Rusev is going to be at Wrestlemania 33 at all. He may wish to stay at home and recover and come back when he is 100 percent ready.
[Featured Image by WWE]
