Charting a Path for the Rest of Rusev's Rookie Year

Rusev must continue to conquer as he closes out his first year with WWE. 

To make the most of his rise and generate the most interest in him going forward, he needs to add bigger victims to his hit list and capture a symbol of American pride. Once he's done running over Mark Henry at Night of Champions, WWE should keep portraying him as a wrecking ball.

The company needs dangerous heels and new stars. Rusev can be both.

The following is a proposed path to have him draw closer to the top tier by the end of 2014. Over the next three months, the bruiser can leave an indelible impression behind.

Let him knock over walls as he has done so far, and WWE will have a convincing destroyer at the ready for 2015 and beyond.

The World's Largest Victims

Rusev's early conquests included the roster's also-rans. No fan is impressed when a newcomer steamrolls over Zack Ryder or Xavier Woods. Those men were just tomato cans used to trump up his record.

Things began to get interesting when Rusev handled Big E in two straight pay-per-views and overcome Jack Swagger and his ankle lock several times in a row. Now The World's Strongest Man is his next foe, another step up the WWE hierarchy. 

WWE would be wise to not only have The Bulgarian Brute defeat Henry but hurt him.

When WWE wanted to hype Brock Lesnar's power in preparation for WrestleMania, it turned to Henry. Lesnar hurled him through the announce table, leaving him motionless.

Even at this late stage in his career, it's still impressive to see someone dominate him like that. Rusev can follow Lesnar's lead.

Should he leave Henry in need of a stretcher at Night of Champions, it leads directly into a logical next step—a showdown with Big Show.

Big Show has been Henry's ally as of late, the two behemoths forming a formidable tag team. If Rusev puts Henry out of action, he will have both hurt the giant's friend and affected his chances of winning the tag titles.

At Hell in a Cell, Big Show can seek revenge. He shouldn't get it, though.

It's better to make Big Show the next to fall the bruiser. Rusev handling The World's Largest Athlete further creates an aura of being unstoppable for Rusev. Fans will begin to ask who can stop him if Henry and Show can't.

Credit: WWE.com

As a bonus, Rusev gets two consecutive pay-per-view battles with men who will produce physical, hard-fought action.

From there, Rusev can provide further proof of his destructive power at Survivor Series. 

One-Man Army

Much like Roman Reigns did last year, Rusev can create a big house-clearing moment by eliminating a number of men on his own.

Credit: WWE.com

WWE can't offer that spot to every new prospect. It makes perfect sense for Rusev to do it, though. He's been portrayed as a tank of a man. 

Bo Dallas eliminating three men on one team, on the other hand, would stretch one's ability to suspend disbelief.

To facilitate that moment for Rusev, pit a number of Americans against him and a band of foreigners in a traditional Survivor Series Elimination match. The story for that is easy.

The Usos and other babyfaces express their disdain for all of Rusev and Lana's anti-American rhetoric. Lana gathers a foreign legion to take on the Yanks. She promises to prove America's inferiority. 

Credit: WWE.com

Rusev can team with Cesaro, perhaps Bad News Barrett if he's back from injury and maybe Tyson Kidd or Justin Gabriel. WWE can have Henry and Big Show join the babyface side to continue that storyline.

At some point, Rusev's team will be outnumbered. The powerhouse then charges back by kicking his enemies in the head and trimming down the opposing team one by one.

The talk after Survivor Series will center around Rusev. That event can be a showcase of his strength.

After being the MVP of his team, he and Lana can gloat afterward. There has to be a bigger challenge ahead, they tell fans.

Champion of the Russian Federation

The United States Championship is the perfect addition to Rusev's character.

The star that he wears around his neck signifying his status as a Russian hero has some narrative power, but nothing will touch him carrying around the U.S. title. That's perfect ammo for Lana's rants.

She would talk of how no American is good enough to carry the country's own title. Rusev will instead continue to show fans Russia's superiority. 

As Rick Poehling suggested (note: link contains NSFW language) on Scott's Blog of Doom, he and Lana can rename it the Russian Federation Championship to further drive home the angle.

In order to begin the year with that redubbed title on his massive shoulder, he would need to end 2014 with a big victory at the TLC pay-per-view. 

If Sheamus is still champion by then, there's a chance for one of the best brawls of the year. As hard as he and Rusev clobber their opponents, the physicality promises to be outstanding.

Let Rusev knock off his biggest prey yet. Let him use the U.S. title as a way to elevate himself going forward. Let him end the year seemingly untouchable. That's the way to have electricity sparking around him and maximize his first year with WWE.

When 2015 arrives, he will be a more valuable asset, a battering ram seeking one more door to splinter.