Rusev vs. Roman Reigns Ruled No-Contest After Pre-Match Brawl at WWE SummerSlam

Rusev was set to defend his WWE United States Championship against Roman Reigns at SummerSlam on Sunday, but the match ended in a no-contest after the two began brawling outside the ring.

Reigns beat Rusev so badly that WWE medical personnel determined the U.S. champion wasn't healthy enough to wrestle.

After initially exiting the ringside area, Reigns returned to Spear Rusev.

WWE shared a replay of the incident:

The Ringer's Bill Simmons was happy to see Reigns displaying an evil edge but wondered whether the moment for it to have meant something had already passed:

The Bulgarian Brute entered SummerSlam on a roll since recapturing the title that first lifted him to prominence two years ago. He ran through every challenger standing in his way, but he was finally met with some resistance in the form of Reigns.

After listening to Rusev run down the United States and its efforts in the Olympics, The Big Dog confronted The Super Athlete, which set the wheels in motion for a blockbuster feud over the U.S. title.

On the following edition of Raw, Rusev and Lana tried to hijack the show by re-enacting their wedding in the ring. That didn't sit well with Reigns, who decided to interrupt.

Chaos ensued, as it often does during wedding-related happenings in WWE, and Lana ended up covered in cake, as WWE's Twitter account showed:

Following the incident, Lana vowed to get back at the leader of the Roman Empire:

Reigns took a different view of the situation, which likely infuriated Rusev even more during the buildup toward SummerSlam:

With the heat between Reigns and Rusev at an all-time high, there was a great deal of excitement surrounding their match at SummerSlam and an overall feeling that it could work wonders for the prestige of the United States Championship.

The U.S. title hasn't felt special since John Cena was putting on open challenges last year, but having a main event-caliber performer like Reigns chase the belt instantly makes it seem important.

Dropping Reigns from the main event to the midcard is likely a punishment for the WWE wellness-policy violation that earned him a 30-day suspension prior to Battleground, but it could turn out to be a positive for all involved, assuming this isn't the end of his feud with Rusev.

Not only will it give Reigns a chance to potentially earn some respect from the fans who feel as though he has been handed everything, but it also allows Rusev to mix it up with a top guy rather than some of the fringe Superstars he had been competing against.

A rematch with Rusev seems almost certain, so while Reigns probably won't be back in the main event scene in the near future, the fact that he decimated Rusev at SummerSlam is a sign that the company is still behind him.

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