Did WWE Just Sneak a Rusev Face Turn by Us?

WWE may finally be on the verge of fully embracing the Rusev Day phenomenon.

An organic rise in popularity may be the best way to propel a WWE Superstar to the land of championship opportunity. And in 2018, the Rusev Day explosion is exactly the type of coveted support a wrestler needs. However, Rusev has been a heel since the beginning of time—a circumstance that severely limits the reach of Rusev Say

But it looks like that may have changed.

In a backstage interview during SmackDown, Rusev was warm, possibly even cuddly. At this rate, we can expect him to tell us to say our prayers and take our vitamins by next week.

It may be a little early to declare Rusev a proverbial white meat babyface but it does appear that WWE may be positioning itself to embrace the Rusev Day love. Armed with palpable charisma and the vocals of his muse, Aiden English, Rusev has routinely garnered hero’s welcome for most of 2018.

Rusev Day shirts can’t stay on the shelves. Lana dropped her incriminating Russian accent, and the Bulgarian Brute himself punched a ticket to the Money in the Bank briefcase bonanza.

If this is indeed happening—a Rusev face turn—then WWE may be on the verge of uncorking something special.

Regardless of their morality, it does look like Lana, Rusev and English will stick together for the foreseeable future. On multiple occasions, stories have broken indicating Rusev Day was terminal. Reports of Lana being used as the wedge to split English and Rusev became a common theory. While potential split had fans anxious, Dave Meltzer reported that it would be used to promote Rusev and Lana to SmackDown’s main event.

But now, it certainly feels like this crew has gotten the magic approval from the man most high, Vince McMahon. while that may be no more than reckless speculation, Rusev’s change of character invites such speculation.

And as fate has, both Lana and Rusev will fight for the MITB briefcase this Sunday. At the moment they are both considered too long shots to win, but Money in the Bank is prone to parody and there isn’t a circumstance we can rule out, other than Bobby Roode winning, of course.

Both Lana and Rusev will be treated like deities in Chicago this Sunday and, if WWE wanted two, either of them winning MITB would make for a memorable moment. We’ll have to wait and see, but I know who I’ll be rooting for.