Rusev Announces His SmackDown Live Return Date

SmackDown Live is currently doing work across the pond as a part of WWE’s European tour, but the blue brand will have a big present waiting for them when they return next week.

Today on Twitter, former United States Champion, Rusev, announced that he would be returning to SD Live next Tuesday night.

The Bulgarian Brute has been sidelined with an injury that forced him to miss WrestleMania 33 and has kept him on the sidelines for the last few months.

Rusev appeared via video on SmackDown a few weeks after the Superstar Shake-Up to announce his goal to become the next WWE Champion. Rusev said he would not join the Blue Brand unless he was given a championship shot at Money In The Bank.

Apparently, Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan have not responded to the request so Rusev is coming to get an answer by himself.

Rusev’s claims of disrespect sound awfully familiar to his former partner, Jinder Mahal’s recent promos – as well as Kevin Owens. Could we be getting another “angry foreigner” faction forming on Tuesday nights?

If not, this is a pretty big case of lazy booking. Mahal and Rusev all deserve to be in the title picture, but giving them the same talking points could make it so that they cancel each other out in the eyes of the WWE Universe.

Before he was sidelined with an injury, Rusev had lost a bit of his edge. The former dominating champion had been relegated to a comedy act, being brought out to get superkicked by a returning legend or to be the butt of a bigger superstar’s jokes. Hopefully, a new start on SmackDown will put him back in a better position.

Rumors are, Rusev will have to make the jump without his wife, Lana, by his side as she is about to start her new gimmick, which has little to do with being a Ravishing Russian.

MORE POP WWE:

Nakamura Draws Undertaker Comparisons / Braun Strowman Legitimately Injured / Jim Ross’ Next WWE Role Revealed /