Last Monday on Raw, WWE announced that Rusev will be part of the Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia as part of the Tuwaiq Trophy gauntlet that also features AJ Styles, Andrade, Bobby Lashley, R-Truth and Erick Rowan.
On the surface, it seemed like the announcement meant that Rusev’s contract dispute with the company was settled. However, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, this is not a sign that the dispute has been settled and Rusev still has plenty of time left on his current deal.
It’s unclear why Rusev was teasing on Twitter that he would be a free agent soon. One theory is that his contract was due to expire around this time but WWE may have added time to make up for time off he took off for injuries. That is not confirmed but it’s the only thing that would explain why he was teasing his deal coming up soon.
There have been a lot of rumors suggesting that Rusev has been unhappy with his creative direction. However, in public, he has praised the storyline involving his real-life wife Lana and Bobby Lashley. It appears that WWE is done with the angle as Liv Morgan is now feuding with Ruby Riott. If things are worked out with Rusev, they can always go back to the storyline and it’s possible they will do that at Super ShowDown since Lashley and Rusev will be in the same match together.
Rusev’s wife, Lana, signed a five-year deal with the company so if Rusev ends up leaving then he will not have his wife with him if he signs elsewhere.
For those of you wondering, WWE is an internal WrestleMania line-up and currently, Rusev is not listed on the card. Click here for the latest WrestleMania news including a big story on a first-time-ever match planned for The Undertaker.
Here is the updated card for Super ShowDown.
WWE Universal Championship
Bray Wyatt (Champion) vs. Bill Goldberg
WWE Championship
Brock Lesnar (Champion) vs. Ricochet
Steel Cage Match
Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The New Day (Champions) vs. John Morrison and The Miz
Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy Gauntlet Match
Andrade vs. Erick Rowan vs. Rusev vs. Bobby Lashley vs. R-Truth vs. AJ Styles
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
Bayley (Champion) vs. Carmella or Naomi
