What with his ravishing bride, U.S. Championship and two weddings, it’s hard to imagine Rusev as being short-changed in any way. Yet that was exactly the feeling of The Bulgarian Brute, who was fuming over his U.S. Title Match against Roman Reigns on Sunday and decided to take it out on a heavily overpowered Seth Rollins in Raw’s opening contest. The two-time WWE World Champion was subject to all manner of physicality from The Super Athlete, and it seemed, early on, like Rusev would (wait for it) crush Rollins before he even made it to Clash of Champions by targeting his lower back.
But, of course, they don’t call Rollins “The Architect” for nothin’. A worked-over Rollins tapped into his speed, peppering his foe with kicks, forearms and just enough power moves to close the gap. A pair of suicide dives sent Rusev stumbling out of the ring and Rollins pursued his foe past the count of 10, stopping the match. But even though the match might have ended in a tie, The Architect got the last laugh by avoiding a powerbomb through the commentary table and flattening Rusev with a crossbody off the stage.