Rusev's Feud with Dolph Ziggler Is Major Chance to Rehab His Image

Now that Rusev's walking boot is off and his feud with Dolph Ziggler has become centered on savagery rather than melodrama, he can start to grow back the fangs he lost in his battles with John Cena.

After beginning his WWE run as an unstoppable, foreign monster, Rusev saw his momentum fall away. A trio of consecutive pay-per-view losses to Cena stripped him of his invulnerability. Lana's leaving him soon after took away his mouthpiece, not to mention that it separated him from the woman who was often the driving force of his character.

Post-Cena, Rusev has been a sulking brute with no chance to do what he does best. 

A fractured foot kept him from bouncing back from how feeble he looked in falling to Cena again and again. He was unable to tear into new prey. He couldn't replace images of him flailing like a bug in Cena's grip with something that would make him look powerful again.

And while WWE kept the spotlight on him during his recovery from injury, it was too often alongside Summer Rae, a pairing that has yet to click.

Credit: WWE.com

Things have shifted for the better. Momentum is building for Rusev.

On Monday's Raw, it looked as if he was going to be in another soap opera-like angle. Ziggler teased him that Lana was now his girl. The Showoff locked lips with The Ravishing Russian, and rather than resulting in another catfight between two women in tight dresses, things turned ugly.

Rusev stripped off his walking boot and blasted Ziggler with his crutch. He beat him to the point that officials had to carry off Ziggler on a stretcher.

In that moment, Rusev showed himself to be relentless, heartless, a vicious man with a loose moral code. That's the Rusev we need to see more of.

And we will now that Ziggler vs. Rusev has embraced a true heel-face dynamic. The story before this point had pitted Ziggler as a girl-stealer and Rusev as a heartbroken beast. It's no coincidence that this is the first time this feud has truly become interesting. 

As Wrestle Zone points out, it's clear Rusev can generate heat in this type of scenario:

That will come easy to him in the near future with Ziggler being the Internet Wrestling Community's favorite son. Every time the popular performer suffers a loss, there's sure to be some rage shooting across the Internet.

Pounding on Ziggler not only offers him a chance to irk fans, but it will result in quality wins against a former world champion.

Ziggler's certainly a step down from Cena in terms of position on the WWE hierarchy, but it's not as if Rusev is doing battle with R-Truth here. The Showoff offers a solid stepping stone for Rusev. That's been Ziggler's role of late.

Seth Rollins, Sheamus and Batista are among the most recent recipients of collisions with Ziggler.

Batista warmed up against him before WrestleMania 30. Rollins preceded his WWE title run with a series of wins over Ziggler. Sheamus did the same before his Money in the Bank win.

It's Rusev's turn to further his career by making The Showoff his punching bag. This is Rusev's chance to erase memories of his failures against Cena.

As he will soon find out, feuding with Ziggler leads to excellent bouts. Ziggler seems to treat every in-ring opportunity as the biggest one of his career. Whether it's a pre-show matchup or a clash on Superstars, Ziggler pours his heart out onto the mat.

That's going to give Rusev some stellar additions to his resume.

And what Ziggler does better than anyone else on the roster is make other guys look good. When he takes a clothesline, he crashes to the canvas as if he's been struck by a lightning bolt. When his opponent is walloping him, he uses expert body language to maximize that moment, leaving his attacker looking like the most formidable Superstar in the locker room.

All of that should have Rusev grinning as he heads into the next chapter of this rivalry.

Unlike with Cena, he's going to be favored to emerge as the victor. And Ziggler, unlike Cena, is someone WWE isn't so steadfastly resistant to have lose. 

Wins are coming Rusev's way. A beloved babyface is set to be his victim. That all spells upward movement for a man in need of it.