Fantasy Booking: The Ruination, Revenge and Redemption of Rusev Day
Know this, if you didn't shed tears on Smackdown Live as Aiden English struck a blow to Rusev and broke up their partnership, then you're not human. The super popular Rusev Day is finally done. After teasing us with dissension among their ranks and the supposed redemption of Aiden English. It all came tumbling down this past Tuesday in a horrifying set of circumstances.
Sometimes, even at their most incapable WWE has this ability to pull at your heartstrings. So much so it prompted the WWE youtube team to compile its own list of betrayals through the years. We cried all over again.
Regardless the beauty of this is how sometimes WWE is able to just book the right angle to get a crushing emotional experience out of WWE fans. Yet, fans also can't stand behind; what if Rusev Day hadn't broken up? What if Rusev Day could have led Rusev all the way to the main event?
This 'What if?' always creates an interesting conundrum, since there are so many ways WWE can take any arc. It's a fun concept to play with and nothing is more interesting to a fan right now, then finding a way back for English to sing the praises of Rusev Day!
The
Story so far...
Let's get this out-of-the-way first, the beauty of the current trajectory in the Rusev Day arc is that neither party is in the wrong. Sure Aiden committed a heinous act of attacking Rusev, but it came from a place relatable. He feared being kicked out, just for releasing his just frustrations.
It's a human thing to expect relationships to have only the good, but no relationship is perfect.
For all the good Aiden English has done, all Rusev can see are the damages he has caused. This is simply because Rusev never did or has seen Aiden as an equal in their relationship. On the other end, Aiden has never given him any sign of that.
Relationships begin to fail the moment we stop communicating with one another. The brilliance of WWE is that they plopped Lana into the midst of this relationship and didn't really have her say much or instigate it directly (apart from that ill-advised backstage promo, early into the story).
It has thus resulted in a break up that seems typical WWE on the surface but has the potential of nuanced layers to crop up with the subtext all three characters have presented to it. Rusev Day has a chance to revive itself if these two men can just come to terms with what they mean to one another.