John Cena vs. Rusev Is Terrible Choice for Tuneup Feud Before WWE SummerSlam

When Rusev interrupted John Cena's first promo since last spring, it became abundantly clear that WWE Creative was positioning the talented Bulgarian Brute as the first opponent for Cena on his comeback trail.

It also became abundantly clear that Rusev is the absolute worst choice for a tuneup feud before Cena moves on to bigger, better things on August 20 at SummerSlam.

Just months removed from what appeared to be the start of a monumental push that would culminate in his first shot at the WWE Championship, Rusev returned to little fanfare or hype. He simply interrupted Cena, reverting to his anti-American rhetoric as if his absence had done nothing to evolve his character beyond that of foreign villain.

The creative bankruptcy and managerial stubbornness have hurt Rusev significantly and left Cena without that exciting, thought-provoking warm-up program in time for what is sure to be a marquee match at SummerSlam.

An Ice Cold Brute

Rusev has not been seen on television in any meaningful way since a series of cell phone videos announced his desire to challenge for the WWE Championship.

He disappeared despite being one of the top Superstars shuffled to SmackDown Live during the Superstar Shake-Up and did not turn up again until the July 4 episode, where he interrupted Cena and took exception to the lack of hype surrounding his return.

By the time a flag match was announced for July 23's Battleground pay-per-view, it was clear just how ice cold the Rusev character actually is.

He has no upward momentum, and there is no hint of main event prospects.

Rusev is a recognizable heel who has flirted with the main event frequently enough to be taken somewhat seriously as a threat to premier babyfaces, but he has been beaten repeatedly by headliners like Cena and Roman Reigns enough to remain entrenched in the deep, dark abyss of WWE's bloated midcard.

Win or lose, he never moves up or down. He is simply...there.

There is no heat to speak of, no reason to care. He is a guy who was gone but is back again and will almost certainly be sacrificed at the alter of the almighty Cena, who will move on to yet another epic main event while leaving the wildly talented Bulgarian in his wake.

Why Bother?

Beating Rusev does nothing to help Cena. It does not elevate him any higher than the throne he already sits in at the top of WWE. He is neither better for it nor any more ready to assume the position across the squared circle from Reigns, WWE champion Jinder Mahal or Universal champion Brock Lesnar.

So why bother?

Why sacrifice what little heat Rusev still has left to add to a legacy as sparkling as it gets?

It makes no sense from a creative standpoint or a business one.

After all, is WWE not better off in the long run to have a believable, badass villain like Rusev rather than a one-dimensional, neutered foreign heel whose only purpose is to spout anti-American rhetoric while taking bumps for Superstars already extremely over? 

The answer is yes.

Will that stop them from going through with the match, perhaps finding a way out of the corner it has booked itself into?

The answer is no.

A Triumphant Hero...Or Something Like That

Cena will roll into Philadelphia on July 23, capture the American flag and wave it high overhead, the conquering hero dispatching of the hated villain. WWE will snap a few dozen photos, plaster them all over the internet and utilize them in future "Most Patriotic" photo galleries.

The leader of the Cenation will be well on his way back to the top of the card, ready to slay whichever beast is put before him.

Rusev will struggle to recover, the loser of another high-profile match.

He will not be part of any patriotic celebrations or photo galleries trumpeting the best to ever lace a pair of boots. Instead, he will inch closer to irrelevancy, a footnote in the record books.

Wrestling historians will look back at his career asking "what might have been" rather than telling of his many triumphs and successes.

And the largest sports entertainment promotion in the world will miss out on yet another opportunity to promote a bad guy around whom an entire roster is built and a true alternative to the smiling good guys that are all-too-abundant in today's WWE.