Rusev has reflected on his breakout 2015 feud with the legendary John Cena, crediting the 17-time World Champion for much of his own success in the wrestling business. Rusev has stated that he would “absolutely” love to be the one to face Cena in his final retirement match.
Speaking with VoxCatch, Rusev was asked about his early rivalry with Cena, which saw the then-undefeated Rusev, as a foreign heel, go up against the top babyface in the company. The feud was a main event program that helped to establish Rusev as a legitimate star on the main roster.
“I learned a lot from John Cena. You know, I got to wrestle him quite a bit throughout my years in WWE. And I owe a lot of my success to him, because I got to learn from him, wrestling him, beating him as well,” Rusev said. “So I’m always going to be thankful for that.”
The feud included match for the United States Championship at WrestleMania 31, a bout that is remembered for Rusev’s iconic entrance on a military tank. He described the moment as a “dream” and a “surreal” experience. “And that moment was special. You know, it’s WrestleMania, that’s the pinnacle of every professional wrestler. And to go out on a tank with my wife Lana in front of 75,000 people was absolutely a dream that you can’t even have when you’re a kid,” he said.
With Cena now on his farewell tour, which is set to conclude with his final match on December 13, Rusev made it clear that he would love the opportunity to be his last opponent. He sees it as a fitting end to both of their stories.
“He started my career, now I can end his, which [would] be very appropriate,” Rusev said. “And karma always strikes back at the end of the day.” Rusev returned to WWE earlier this year after a run in AEW and was recently victorious over Sheamus at the Clash in Paris premium live event. The full interview with Rusev can be found on VoxCatch.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit VoxCatch with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
