Rusev Will Be Dominant in the Royal Rumble Match

Rusev will be among the 30 WWE Superstars competing in the upcoming Royal Rumble match.  The event takes place on Sunday, January 25, and the winner of the bout will go on to work the main event at WrestleMania 31 for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

While many fans are likely speculating about who will come out as the winner, Rusev is in a great spot to make a huge impact.  The Bulgarian Brute had an impressive 2014, and it's that momentum that will cause him to dominate in the Rumble.

Few guys have received the attention and spotlight Rusev did this past year.

The former NXT standout may have come onto the main roster without much fanfare, but that is not the way his run has gone.  Rusev was featured on WWE programming as an unstoppable brute, a tough brawler who wanted nothing more than to crush his competition.

credit: wwe.com

And that is exactly what he did.

Everyone who was in his path went down hard.  No matter how big the challenger or how formidable the foe, Rusev kept finding a way to come out on top.  Using his strength, athleticism and ferocity, Rusev began a winning streak that did not see him lose by pinfall in 2014.

With his mouthpiece Lana by his side, Rusev was a force to be reckoned with and one the company promoted as a foreign threat of the highest order.

Rusev's disdain for America became apparent early on.  It was his hook, his way to establish himself with the WWE faithful as a relevant antagonist.  And it worked on every level. Despite the era or the audience, an anti-American character is an instant heat magnet.

There's nothing like a foreign heel standing in a pro wrestling ring spewing hate at thousands of people and pushing his own agenda at the same time.  It may be considered cheap and old-fashioned by some, but it's a gimmick that works practically every time.

credit: wwe.com

From Ivan Koloff to The Iron Sheik to La Resistance, one character after another has existed to revile the American way and force his own ideas upon the fans.  Rusev is just the latest example

But considering he's the only one currently doing it in WWE, it has been effective. His rhetoric has inspired several babyfaces to tap into their patriotism and fight against him.

Jack Swagger, The Big Show and Mark Henry all stepped up to the plate, and they all fell to the might of Rusev.  No one has been capable of toppling him or even slowing him down.

And there is no reason to believe that will not continue at The Royal Rumble.

The Rumble is the best place for Rusev to prove his superiority over the rest of the roster.  From a character perspective, there is no better way to show how tough he is and how much he can do in the ring.

During the 2014 Rumble, Roman Reigns eliminated a record 12 Superstars.  It was a big moment for him, one that elevated him in the minds of fans, who began to see him as something other than just the strongman for The Shield.

It became one of the talking points of his career—a career many people believe will one day lead him to the top of the roster.  If Rusev were to break that record on January 25, the same could be said of him.

That is the most logical move for Rusev at this point.  He wins all the time, he always looks strong, and he must shine on the pay-per-view stage for it to all mean something.  The Royal Rumble begins the road to WrestleMania, and if Rusev comes into the bout like a hurricane and eliminates a record-breaking number of Superstars, he will be making a huge statement for his future main event career.