Rusev to Possibly Miss Elimination Chamber Following Reported Injury on Smackdown; Replaced by Bray Wyatt?

By Nick “Red” Conley

The Bulgarian Brute Rusev is experiencing a string of back luck as of late. First, the beautiful Lana leaves him following weeks of verbal abuse and has since joined forces with Dolph Ziggler, now the emerging rival to Rusev. Second, during the latest Smackdown taping, Rusev reportedly injured his ankle in his match with Ryback. Rusev favored his ankle during the match and the WWE rushed the match to a disqualification. Rusev required assistance to leave the ring and head back stage, and was later seen in a wheelchair with a cast. PW Insider later noted that fans saw Rusev at the airport in Philadelphia on May 27 also in a wheelchair wearing a cast. So it appears that Rusev was not faking and actually suffered an ankle or foot injury during the match with Ryback.

This is unfortunate, as it is only days before Elimination Chamber this Sunday, May 31, where Rusev is supposed to compete for the Intercontinental title in an elimination match. Rusev may try to downplay the injury so he could compete in the match, but it is unknown if WWE plans to clear him in time for Sunday’s match. There are rumors swirling that he could be replaced by Bray Wyatt, which could make things more interesting. The match will consist of Ryback, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth, King Barrett, and either Rusev or Bray Wyatt. Whether it is Wyatt or Rusev, Sheamus is the likely favorite to come away with the belt.
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