Road to Wrestlemania 31: Rusev

Rusev, unlike a few other WWE superstars, has been booked rather soundly – he is still undefeated for more than a year now. 2014 was a momentous year for the big Bulgarian, as he carries a substantial head of steam into Wrestlemania 31, presumably to face the colossus that is John Cena. Though Roman Reigns has been touted as the next top baby face in the company, it is an ode to Rusev's inertia that despite having them wrestle twice on Smackdown, WWE did not have Rusev lose to Reigns on either occasion. Here is a look at the 2014 that Rusev enjoyed, and the path that lies ahead for the Hero of the Russian Federation.

#1 How 2014 played out for Rusev?

After breaking ground in the WWE with a dominant display at the 2014 Royal Rumble, Alexander Rusev proceeded on to tear through the locker-room and finished 2014 on an undeniable high. That WWE has, thus far, maintained his undefeated streak points to the dominant Bulgarian’s in-ring prowess. Through the course of 2014, Rusev has been one of WWE’s top performers both on the mic in the ring - eliciting crowd reactions almost on every episode of Raw, consistently.

Rusev’s microphone skills are highly underrated and almost pass under the radar unnoticed. Don’t get me wrong; Rusev will never reel off catch-phrases like The Rock or talk trash like Austin, but his insults on Americans are quirky and worth a chuckle to say the least. Unlike superstars like Cesaro, not having the clearest diction of English doesn’t hold Rusev back from grabbing the microphone from Lana and having a verbal go at his opponents.

While his anti-american gimmick has been employed by the WWE before, Lana, his “Social Ambassador” adds dimensionality to the presentation and delivery of this gimmick. Overall, Rusev has been one of the superstars of the year for me, and unsurprisingly, he was awarded the Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Most Improved Superstar for 2014, as well as the joint award, along with Lana, for Best Gimmick, conferred upon him by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.