Rusev is the next top WWE babyface

Since late 2017, Rusev has been a babyface from his heart, despite the fact that WWE rashly still depicted him as a heel. Rusev supposedly was in line to get the huge heel push that Jinder Mahal got a year ago, however, WWE clearly ran with Mahal. WWE opted to keep Rusev off TV and brought him back in the ring after a hiatus.

Looking back, that may have really been something worth being thankful for Rusev. While Mahal flopped as WWE Champion and carried the nature of SmackDown down with him, Rusev's fame detonated in late 2017. And before the year was over he was driving WWE in stock deals, an uncommon accomplishment for somebody who isn't getting the noteworthy push.

Rusev's capacity to move merchandise clearly earned him a US title contention at WrestleMania 34, but that was of no help. By then, it appeared to be no good thing could ever occur for Rusev, regardless of how much stock he sold or how uproarious those "Rusev Day!" cheers were.

There was a little hint of something better over the horizon when Rusev confronted AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at Extreme Rules a month ago. But anybody who reliably watches WWE programming realized that Rusev was basically somebody for Styles to beat in the course to a SummerSlam conflict with Samoa Joe.

Rusev and Styles, in any case, had the best match on the card. Blowing some people's minds all the while. This also established Rusev as the top babyface as Styles moved on with his next feud for the title belt.

Maybe the best thing about turning Rusev, keeping him lined up with Lana and placing him in a bout with Andrade "Cien" Almas is that it places both Rusev and Lana in the parts they ought to be in. This also gives Almas a chance to prove why he was the best wrestler in his time at NXT.