Breaking Down the Biggest WWE Headlines for Week of June 8

The seesaw nature of WWE's ability to tell stories was on full display this week.

The creative team did well to showcase Rusev despite his injury. It presented Finn Balor in intriguing fashion. On the other hand, those same people made the decision to leave an emerging talent such as Bray Wyatt on the bench day after day.

These are also the folks in charge of having the world champion lose to a pair of semi-retired, height-challenged stooges just before he defends his title at Money in the Bank.

How WWE has booked Seth Rollins leaves one scratching one's heads so much that it's bound to start bleeding. That goes double for Wyatt.

Of course, Dusty Rhodes' death put all that into perspective. Suddenly, nitpicking how the company decides the in-ring drama should unfold didn't feel so important.

A Broken Rusev Is a Compelling Rusev

Despite a fractured foot hobbling him, Rusev is thriving.

Rather than push him out of the spotlight, WWE has chosen to have Rusev hang around, exposing his wounds in the process. He has morphed into a desperate, scorned lover. He is distraught about losing Lana, to the point that when Michael Cole interviewed her, he stormed onto the scene with his crutches, breathing fire when his ex-manager rejected him again.

This kind of performance is far more than one would have expected of him when he first arrived.

He was a one-dimensional character at that point, a predator barreling straight ahead. This new side of him has allowed him to show a bigger range. He's convincingly hurt by this situation and is mixing in vulnerability with his viciousness. 

WWE can more confidently move forward with him, even if The Ravishing Russian is no longer by his side. 

No Bray Wyatt Anywhere

Bray Wyatt's lack of direction has been frustrating. His complete lack of airtime this week is hard to explain.

Despite Wyatt being one of the more compelling in-ring performers, a young, popular star and a maestro on the mic, WWE didn't showcase him at all. Not only is he not scheduled for Money in the Bank, but Raw wrapped with no Wyatt sighting. SmackDown came and went with no Eater of Worlds on screen.

Even Superstars and Main Event were Wyatt-less shows. Fandango, Jack Swagger, Los Matadores and The Ascension all found their way to the ring; Wyatt stayed inactive.

His journey from facing Undertaker at WrestleMania to hearing "sorry, we just don't have anything for you" so often has been startling to watch.

Introducing Finn Balor

As fantastic an athlete as Finn Balor is, there was some concern when he arrived that WWE wouldn't know what to do with him. He's not built like a monster heel, and a cocky showboat role doesn't suit him either. Clearly, the company figured something out.

A new vignette for Balor plays with the idea of his duality. He has not just embraced the darkness in him but harnessed it.

It's a well-produced, effective clip that will pique fans' interest in him. It's also a peek at where WWE could go with this and where Balor's character could travel. Chalk this up as a booking success—one that will clear a path for Balor to do what he does best.  

Seth Rollins Limps into Ladder Match

Seth Rollins, the WWE world champ, lost on Monday's Raw, just days before his title bout with Dean Ambrose at Money in the Bank. A defeat in that spot isn't a good idea already, but to have it come against Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble makes it doubly worse. 

They have posed no threat in the past. They are mocked for being short and past their prime, yet here they are pinning Rollins. 

Rollins is the slippery kind of heel as opposed to a Brock Lesnar-like ass-kicker. That's fine, but he's been asked to be too much of a pushover with this role.

Ric Flair was often as evasive and cowardly as Rollins is now, but he would also get chances to show off his destructive power. Ask anyone The Four Horsemen ran over.

Rollins isn't getting that treatment, and it's hurting his reign. Beyond that, it makes a Lesnar-Rollins showdown less appealing.

The current champ could be portrayed as crafty, vicious, heartless or a combination of all three. Instead, WWE has gone with a fourth option—weak. 

This leaves Rollins in need of momentum recovery at Money in the Bank. It leaves him in need of a change in philosophy from the writers.

Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins Manage to Thrill Again

It feels like Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins have faced each other more than Itchy and Scratchy have. This is apparently WWE's go-to matchup of late, and despite its lack of novelty, the two performers usually deliver something worth raving about.

Their SmackDown collision was the best match of the week with Neville vs. Kevin Owens and Paige vs. Alicia Fox coming in at second and third respectively. 

The usual blend of elite selling, great chemistry and maximum effort made this yet another standout match in Rollins and Ziggler's collection. After a talk-heavy Raw, it was refreshing to see action like this on Thursday night.

Rollins looks to follow this outing with something special against another familiar foe in Dean Ambrose. Ziggler will spend Sunday trying to win the Money in the Bank briefcase for the second time, while stealing the show yet again.  

The Dream Is Gone

Dusty Rhodes is gone.

The 69-year-old died on Thursday, and the thought of him no longer being a part of the wrestling industry is surreal. He was a Hall of Fame performer and an innovative booker, and he always strove to teach the next generation the mat game.

The outpouring of emotion and respect that his peers and fans have shown him in the last few days comes as no surprise. Rhodes was a superhero and a movie star in that ring.

There will never be anyone like him.

Saying goodbye to wrestling greats is hard. It's even harder when it happens suddenly like this. However his death may be affecting fans, though, it's nothing compared to what his family must be going through. 

My condolences go out to them.