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PITTSBURGH — After the events of WWE Extreme Rules, two things are beyond dispute. The first, that Rusev is truly, indisputably worthy of his own holiday. And the second, that it’ll take an extraordinary effort to snap AJ Styles’ run as WWE Champion, which extended to its 251st day after The Phenomenal One outlasted Team Blue’s most unlikely folk hero in the latter’s first-ever World Championship match.
That said, Styles didn’t entirely rain on Rusev Day: The Lion of Bulgaria more than validated the groundswell of support that has followed him over the past year, turning in a performance that surely points to future success at the World Championship level. The Super Athlete made good on the alleged three-week training camp he opened to prepare for Styles, targeting the champion’s back in the hopes of softening him up for the Accolade Rusev hoped would net him his first WWE Title.
Unfortunately, that effort wasn’t enough to carry him past the finish line tonight. Styles’ efforts to weaken Rusev’s leg paid dividends down the stretch; for all the damage his back had taken, Rusev was unable to plant his foot for the Accolade after suffering a barrage of kicks and one agonizing Calf Crusher that Aiden English helped him escape. Ironically, English’s involvement cost Rusev when The Bulgarian Brute ran headfirst into an exposed turnbuckle The Picasso of Pain had set up as a trap for Styles, leaving Rusev vulnerable to a Springboard 450 and Phenomenal Forearm that sealed the deal for Styles. Judging by the “Rusev Day” chants that echoed throughout the match, Rusev has more than won the hearts of the WWE Universe. But it was AJ Styles who won the day.