Rusev Continues to Lose Momentum as a Monster Heel

WWE spent over a year building Rusev into a top monster heel, but in just two weeks, he's gone the route of a coward.

At this point, Rusev is becoming more like Ric Flair and less like Umaga. Monster heels typically have managers who control them and reign them in just as they are about to go feral. A staple of Rusev and Lana's relationship features Lana instructing Rusev to "crush." Once his opponent passes out from his finisher, she signals for him to release the hold.

In bringing his lawyer, wearing a suit and threatening to escape a contract signing, however, Rusev went against every trope of the monster heel.

Rusev's success was rooted in the belief that he was a dominant beast. If fans continue to see him paling around with lawyers and dressed like a Bulgarian James Bond, that mystique will quickly die. The more he runs from John Cena, the less it will mean if Cena defeats him.

The novelty in this match is Cena being the only man who can stop Rusev. The selling point is finally getting to see Rusev pinned or submitted. Cena is America's last hope. That storyline becomes unclear if Rusev becomes fearful of him. Rusev's behavior was juxtaposed with a brilliant vignette that same night that exclusively focused on Brock Lesnar's dominance over the past year.

Contrasting the two characters on the merits of Monday's booking makes them seem like two completely different types of heels. They're not. At least, they shouldn't be.

Currently, the storyline arc of this match is one that will culminate in Cena finally getting his hands on Rusev. That would be fine if Rusev was a chicken heel like Seth Rollins, but he's far from it. Where's the footage of Rusev beating the likes of the Big Show, Jack Swagger and Mark Henry? Where's the emphasis on the fact that he literally beat Cena into submission just last month?

Event	Date	Opponent	Result
WWE Fastlane	February 22, 2015	John Cena	Win
WWE TLC	December 14, 2014	Jack Swagger	Win
WWE Hell in a Cell	October 26, 2014	The Big Show	Win
WWE Night of Champions	September 21, 2014	Mark Henry	Win
WWE SummerSlam	August 17, 2014	Jack Swagger	Win

Challenging a dominant force like Rusev, especially after last month's win, is supposed to be courageous. Foolish, even. But there's nothing heroic about how Cena received his rematch. Cena had to strong-arm his way into finally fighting Rusev. The shock value of Rusev potentially losing to Cena is diminishing by the second. When fans are complaining about Cena bullying the big, bad Bulgarian Brute, the angle loses its credibility.

"

Oh god oh god oh god. Don't remind me about this John Cena/Rusev thing. John is LEGIT a bully.

— Jake Wood (@BoStaffTurtle) March 17, 2015"

"

#BeAStar @JohnCena don't bully, Rusev just because he's a foreigner. Shame on you, Cena #RAW

— Jeaux (@ABCDEFGHIJoe) March 10, 2015"

"

John Cena is a jingoistic bully and Rusev is a foreign national who wants to express his opinions. Quick, guess which one is the face! #Raw

— Tom Nix (@TheTomNix) March 17, 2015"

The shock value of Rusev potentially losing to Cena is diminishing by the second. WWE's booking of Rusev was on its way to a fever pitch coming out of Fastlane. With just one week left until WrestleMania, he is nowhere near the monster he once was.

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @ThisIsNasty, and listen to his weekly wrestling podcast.