Is Rusev a Stopgap Rival for AJ Styles or Legit WWE Championship Contender?

Rusev may soon have reason to celebrate. Not just because he is commemorating the self-created holiday that bears his name, either. The WWE Championship is suddenly within Rusev's reach as he prepares to collide with AJ Styles.

On Tuesday's SmackDown, The Lion of Bulgaria outlasted Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, Rusev, Big E and The Miz to triumph in a Gauntlet Match and become No. 1 contender.

He left The Miz woozy with kicks to the head before wrenching his body backward in the Accolade for the win. The Toledo, Ohio, crowd erupted, a palpable joy filling the arena. The victory earned him a title match against Styles at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on July 15, the kind of opportunity few expected for him.

It's easy to dismiss Rusev's big chance as a one-off.

SummerSlam is coming up and Styles is the more likely choice to march into that mega-PPV with the title. Rusev, meanwhile, has been far from a priority for WWE.

Despite his alliance with Aiden English earning hearty "Rusev Day!" chants night in and night out, The Bulgarian Brute has not been anywhere near the top of the SmackDown ladder. Until now.

The clash at Extreme Rules will mark his first one-on-one WWE Championship match. 

After his 2015 rivalry with John Cena, Rusev's spot on the WWE food chain has been all over the place. He's been a comedy act, a little-used midcarder, a United States Championship contender, a tag team specialist. 

Rusev didn't make the cut at this year's Backlash. He was an easy-to-topple foe for Undertaker at The Greatest Royal Rumble. At WrestleMania, he was one of three challengers looking to take down United States champ Jinder Mahal. 

None of that screams WWE title contender. And neither does his win-loss record. 

Credit: WWE.com

Rusev had a .296 winning percentage last year and is currently sitting at a .348 mark in 2018, per CageMatch.net. He's 1-4 against Styles. You have to go back to Battleground 2016 to find his last PPV win.

There seems to be a change afoot, though.

When Rusev and Bryan clashed in SmackDown's main event on May 8, few would have predicted victory for The Bulgarian Brute. It was the powerhouse, however, who prevailed and qualified for this year's Money in the Bank ladder match over Bryan.

It was easy to focus on Bryan's defeat and what that meant for him, but WWE rolling with Rusev in that spot was significant. It was the biggest win in a long while for a man for whom big wins were a distant memory.

Fast forward to June 12. Rusev came out on top again on SmackDown, this time against Samoa Joe.

That's no game-changer of a result on its own, but sandwiched between an upset over Bryan and the Gauntlet match success and suddenly it feels as if WWE is starting to take The Lion of Bulgaria seriously.

It's about time. 

Rusev is a compelling bruiser who consistently delivers in the ring. He's likable and charismatic. Throw in the red-hot response to his and English's Rusev Day shtick and WWE has itself quite the commodity.

The fact that he is now weeks away from a PPV championship battle against WWE's best performer is a sign of Rusev's position shifting. As Miami Herald columnist Scott Fishman noted, this appears to be a case where WWE is listening to the fans:

The aftermath of Rusev's win also hints something brewing.

English refused to shake Styles' hand after the bout and the champ decked him. It was an out-of-character response for a guy who is supposed to be the brand's heroic, fighting champ. 

Pair that flash of the dark side from Styles with Rusev's surging popularity and there's reason to think a double turn could be in the works. If that's the case, The Lion of Bulgaria's chances at Extreme Rules shoot up in a major way.

Rusev wouldn't just be another villainous threat to Styles' throne. His change of heart could easily lead him to be SmackDown's leading man, a reformed heel now fighting for the people.

The move wouldn't be unprecedented. SmackDown has shown a willingness to take chances in the past few years.

James Ellsworth went from being Braun Strowman's unknown prey on Raw to tangling with the WWE champ and playing a pawn in the Styles vs. Dean Ambrose feud on SmackDown.

All-but-forgotten duo Breezango became prominent on Tuesday nights with their Fashion Files segments. This is also the same show that propelled bottom-feeding Mahal to WWE champion status and stuck with him as the titleholder for a good six months.

Rusev upsetting The Phenomenal One is no great shocker in that context.

Styles doesn't necessarily need the title, either. Whatever match he has ahead for him at SummerSlam will be noteworthy gold or no gold. He's an established star whose story will be a prominent one whether he's on top or in the upper midcard.

As for Rusev, a championship win would be a career-changer for him, a means to catapult him to the stardom so many have predicted for him. After a long wait, that reality may well be on its way as July 15 is on the verge of becoming the greatest of all Rusev Days.