Published: 5 minutes ago by Sanchez Taylor | Last Updated: 5 hours ago by Sanchez Taylor
Sanchez has over six years of pro-wrestling news writing experience, covering the biggest news stories in WWE, NXT, AEW, TNA Wrestling and more. He has personally interviewed a number of top stars, producing exclusive content with the likes of AEW’s Swerve Strickland and WWE’s Nick Aldis.
WWE
Rusev hasn’t wrestled on WWE Raw since the July 27 episode, when he came up short against Je’Von Evans in singles action.
Following concern surrounding Rusev’s status following the match, with the star audibly saying “my hand went numb” following a strike, CJ Perry confirmed on September 11 that Rusev had been cleared to compete, and would be returning to the ring.
Rusev has now stepped back into the ring, competing during the October 16 non-televised live event in Hawaii.
With the Bulgarian Brute having wrestled for the first time since his injury, it’s likely that the star will be factored back into WWE programming soon.
There are numerous stars we could see Rusev face upon his return, who he would be a compelling opponent for for one reason or another.
Here are three potential directions for Rusev’s return to WWE TV.
Joe Hendry feud
At the October 16 house show in Honolulu, Hawaii, Rusev faced off against Joe Hendry in singles action.
Hendry ultimately picked up the victory, defeating the star in his first match since late-July following his return from injury.
WWE often tests out rivalries and potential matchups on the house show circuit before bringing them to TV, and this could be one of several feuds born at non-televised events to be introduced to WWE programming.
While they were both part of the Intercontinental Title #1 contender’s gauntlet match on July 13, their Honolulu, Hawaii match marked their first-ever one-on-one traditional singles encounter.
Chad Gable Intercontinental Championship match
Rusev has been in the wider Intercontinental Championship picture since September 2025, when he unsuccessfully challenged for Dominik Mysterio’s title on Raw.
While Rusev has competed in several #1 contender’s matches since then, he hasn’t challenged for the title outright since competing in a three-way bout against Penta and Dominik on the November 1, 2025 Raw episode.
With the likes of Penta moving out of the midcard into the main event scene, there will be opportunities for more stars to become contenders in the Intercontinental Title picture.
With Rusev facing Gable several times earlier this year prior to the latter star’s Intercontinental Championship win, we could see the duo face off under this new dynamic.
Oba Femi rivalry
In March, Rusev and Oba Femi met in a mini-rivalry, brawling on the March 2 episode, ahead of their match the following week.
After coming up short against The Ruler, Rusev stated while speaking on TMZ’s Inside The Ring that Oba Femi reminds him of him during his first run with the company at the Bulgarian Brute.
With Rusev clearly fond of Femi, we could see the two stars work together ahead of The Ruler eventually challenging for the World Heavyweight Championship.
To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!
