SmackDown Live Superstars Rusev and Becky Lynch will both be in action this Sunday at the WWE pay-per-view Fastlane. And while the deck is stacked against both, they’re both trying to break losing streaks that have lasted over well over 365 Rusev Days.
Rusev, despite gaining massive popularity with fans in recent months with his “Rusev Day” gimmick, has not won a pay-per-view match since defeating Big Cass via countout at Roadblock: End of the Line in December 2016.
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Lynch’s winning drought broke a full calendar year within the last few weeks, as the former SmackDown Women’s Champion hasn’t won in a pay-per-view bout since a singles match against Mickie James at Elimination Chamber in February 2017.
And based on their competition, the deck is stacked against both of them from snapping their losing streaks anytime soon. Rusev is matched up with Shinsuke Nakamura on Sunday, and given that “The Artist” is hot off his Royal Rumble win and guaranteed WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 34, the odds of him losing before them are incredibly slim.
Lynch, meanwhile, is tagging with Naomi to take on Natalya and Carmella. This could spell a victory for the “Lasskicker,” but WWE could be trying to keep Carmella looking strong in case she wants to cash in that Money In the Bank contract before, during or after WrestleMania 34.
And speaking of WrestleMania, it’s unclear where either will end up on the card. Rusev is nowhere near a championship match for either the United States or WWE Championship, and as a tag team with Aiden English he sits behind the current crop of The Usos, The New Day and the Bludgeon Brothers at the top of the card.
As for Lynch, she does have an outside shot of challenging Charlotte Flair if the reigning Women’s Champion doesn’t get paired up with Royal Rumble winner Asuka, a match Flair has publicly stated she wants. But even though the April 8 show is less than a month a way, there are still some curves WWE could throw. Asuka could wind up paired with Alexa Bliss over on Raw, leaving Flair without an opponent.
Despite Rusev and Lynch’s disappointment runs as of late, they’re in much better shape than poor Curt Hawkins. The former WWE Tag Team Champion entered the year with a jaw-dropping 150-match losing streak, which is so bad WWE actually made a t-shirt commemorating Hawkins’ legendary losing skid.
Fastlane kicks off at 7 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday.
