Rusev Accepts John Cena's Flag Match Challenge in Return to WWE Programming

Rusev made his return to WWE programming Tuesday.

The Bulgarian Brute had been out of action since March due to a shoulder injury that forced him to miss WrestleMania, but the WWE shared his entrance Tuesday:

He also called out John Cena while accepting his challenge:

In April, Lana told Busted Open Radio (via TPWW.net) that Rusev underwent surgery and was expected to miss between two and four months of action.

After speculation that he could potentially appear at Money in the Bank, Rusev made his non-televised return at a June 24 live event as part of a Triple Threat match against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.

The Super Athlete was sent from Raw to SmackDown as part of the Superstar Shake-up, and he may be in line for a significant push considering the lack of top heels currently on the blue brand.

When Rusev was initially called up to the main roster in 2014, he was booked as an unstoppable force and went nearly an entire year without a loss.

After dropping the United States Championship to Cena at WrestleMania 31, however, he struggled to regain the lofty status he once had on the card.

Rusev did go on to have another U.S. title reign, but he was primarily stuck in the midcard and involved in feuds that didn't receive a significant spotlight.

SmackDown represents a new beginning and opportunity for Rusev, especially since he may no longer be attached to Lana, who is now carving her own path in the women's division.

Things had gotten stale for Rusev on Raw, and it didn't appear as though there was much opportunity for advancement available to him. His lengthy absence may prove to be a blessing in disguise since he can now be built from the ground up and made into a big-time threat on SmackDown.

SmackDown has pushed some surprising names, including Jinder Mahal, which suggests the potential is there for Rusev to earn his way to main event status.

Rusev is a highly skilled in-ring worker who can cut a promo despite his limitations, and those factors should contribute to him being an important part of SmackDown Live moving forward.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).