Michael Klink (@michael_klink on Twitter)

2/6/2018

We’re now a week removed from one of the best received Royal Rumbles on record. Few people were upset with the ultimate outcomes from the Rumble’s premiere contests, as Asuka and Shinsuke Nakamura were more than deserving of their victories. With that said, I wanted to compile a list of some of the unsung heroes from the past week. Obviously there’s only room for so many people at the top of the mountain, but the following ladies and fellows deserve just as much attention as the Rumble winners and current Championship holders:

Rusev

The husband of the lovely Lana, handsome Rusev is now managed and introduced with the whimsical windpipes of his tag team partner Mr. Aiden English. Rusev has definitely proven his mettle as a chameleon, debuting as a Bulgarian spewing monster and Vladimir Putin supporter with the United States championship around his waist. He eventually was allowed to drop the Russian angle and deliver passionate promos in English, coming off as sincere and at times even funny. Rusev’s career hit two hiccups. First when he (purposefully?) sabotaged a kayfabe storyline of a breakup with Lana, due to Dolph Ziggler, by announcing his engagement and marriage to Lana in real life. Further slowing Rusev’s progress were some foot and ankle injuries tied into his character’s affinity for not wearing shoes.

We’re 18 months past the Ziggler feud and Rusev is now standing on his own two feet (in boots now) while Lana pursues her own goals in a singles career.  In shoes, sans his wife, Rusev has never looked better.  True, at the start of his career he was booked as unbeatable, holding onto a lengthy undefeated streak that only came to a stop because of a Wrestlemania match with John Cena. Without that undefeated streak, Rusev has had to get by with his character work, gaining the adoration of the crowd on his own, without the push of management or the shine of a title belt. Rusev is absolutely flourishing in this role, gobbling up applause as the crowd chants for more and more “Rusev Day!” holidays. He’s had a heck of a showing in tag matches with Aiden English, but ultimately, he should be a single’s competitor. As evidenced by the loud support he received at both the Royal Rumble and this past week on Smackdown Live! where he triumphed over Kofi Kingston, Jinder Mahal, and Zack Ryder.  

To sum, Rusev’s never been funnier on the mic, his in-ring work has only improved, and best of all, the crowd (especially a typically critical one like that from Philadelphia) becomes electric at his presence.  Is his ceiling an actual run with the world title? That’s likely not in the near future as we build toward the inevitable showdown between Rumble winner Nakamura and AJ Styles, but after Wrestlemania? When stories reset? There’s really no reason Rusev shouldn’t be getting more air time.

Velveteen Dream

Anybody who’s been paying attention to NXT the past two Takeover Pay Per Views will not be surprised to see Dream on this list. He’s been wrestling for all of 4 years and looks poised to dominate pro-wrestling in the near future. He’s a hybrid of music’s Prince with wrestling’s Golddust, showboating with serpentine dexterity. His top rope abilities and mat-style chops could make AJ Styles blush.

The 22 year old is a gifted story-teller, putting high-drama stakes into all of his feuds. He hasn’t had to lean on “gold” crutches, if you will, where there’s an obvious storytelling end game; one character gets a belt and the other comes up short. Instead, Dream’s goal was to show the world that he could get acknowledged as a peer by getting his opponent, Aleister Black, to simply say his name.  Dream ultimately lost the match and feud, but took home the moral victory because he was able to get Black to admit that Dream’s name is worth mentioning. The match was a big deal because Black was a metaphoric stand-in for the crowd, who left the arena that night reflecting on “Velveteen Dream” themselves.

Look more recently at Dream’s feud with the original KO, Kassius Ohno, where Dream audaciously bragged that he could TKO the journeyman in 30 seconds. Ultimately, Dream was unable to follow through on his claim, but he still added to his credibility by standing tall in the strong-style match, eating stiff forearms and chops from Ohno.   

It’s tough for this writer to not get hyperbolic when talking about Dream. There’s a special spot in my squared-circle heart for characters that can armbar my attention without having to have a championship on the line.  In the history of the business, of course I’ve loved characters like Stone Cold or Rock, who were perpetually striving to be the champion of the company. But for me, the most admirable performances came from characters that could use their words to get us invested.  I think about the ominous mystique of the Undertaker, the never say heart of Shawn Michaels, the rockstar arrogance of Chris Jericho, the pleading desperation of Ric Flair, or again, the masterful in-ring abilities of AJ Styles. Is Dream remotely close to those gentlemen yet? Obviously not, but he’s set a very exciting precedent for us to…dream about in his future.

Nikki Bella

I’m sure my brother will read this entry and roll his eyes back Undertaker style, convinced I’ve completely lost my mind, but hear me out.  In the inaugural women’s Royal Rumble, the crowd was dying to see living legends like Trish Stratus, Lita, Beth Phoenix, and Jacqueline do battle with the contemporary stars of today. To close the match though, I cannot fathom a more perfectly written conclusion than Asuka having to overcome Nikki, Brie, and Sasha Banks to take home the victory.  Sure Trish or Nia Jax could have sauntered out to the center to put away the Japanese phenom, but the applause for the final outcome would have been more appreciative than triumphant.  Only a “Total Diva” like Nikki could have stoked the fires of heel-dom in that spot.  She’s the queen of “Total Divas” and “Total Bellas”, the wife of John Cena, and a backstabbing opportunist with no qualms eliminating a short-term ally like Sasha, or a long-term ally like her own flesh and blood.  In the final showdown, only Nikki, in a similar position popularity-wise as Roman Reigns, could truly make Asuka come off as the hero.  In the annals of women’s wrestling, Asuka was the winner, but Nikki Bella is the reason that victory had meaning.

Michael Klink (@michael_klink on Twitter)

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