Smark Out Moment

Welcome to the fourth installment of BELT OR BURY, wherein you must choose between two different options for a particular wrestler in question: a) should they be given a push to a higher spot on the card and a championship or b) should they become a jobber or possibly even released? Factoring in that wrestler's past as well as their potential future, do they have anything left to offer but aren't being utilized well enough, or should they step out of the limelight and be pushed aside in favor of others?


HISTORY: The inspiration for Rusev being the latest featured person on this segment is his recent title win. This week on Monday Night Raw, Rusev defeated Sheamus to win the United States Championship—his first title in WWE. While his finisher is named The Accolade and he is currently on an undefeated streak (so to speak, having not been pinned or submitted), this is the first true achievement Rusev has to his name.

CURRENT STATUS: Since his title reign just started, it's tough to argue that it is a success or a failure. However, one can assume that Rusev will have several months of successful title defenses against increasingly bigger opponents once he retains against Sheamus in a standard rematch at Survivor Series.

PROPOSAL: While I'm not a huge fan of Rusev, WWE has made their bed and it was the next logical move for him to have won this title. I still maintain that he should have won it months ago and defended it against Jack Swagger, but that's beside the point. Right now, Rusev is the champion and he's a much better choice for the title than Sheamus. I would keep the belt on Rusev until WrestleMania, where he would drop it to John Cena, who would eventually merge it with the Intercontinental Championship some time in 2015.

BELT OR BURY = BELT. Rusev is far...far from my favorite performer on the roster. In fact, I'd rank him in the bottom 1/3rd of the roster. I'd push a whole lot of people before I'd push him. However, given how WWE has booked him this year and considering that this is a case where there are only two options of giving him a title or jobbing him out, you have to give him the United States title. My biased opinion about his booking and his skill level aside, it's the only logical course of action to make sure his push was worth the while.