WWE: Where Has Rusev Been & Why Did He Leave?

WWE superstar Rusev. (WWE.com)

WWE superstar Rusev is rumored to make a return on tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live. The Bulgarian Brute has been gone for months now, so where exactly has Rusev been all this time? Why was he gone from the WWE for so long?

Following the Fastlane pay-per-view in March, Rusev left the WWE to undergo shoulder surgery. The Wrestling Observer reported back in March that Rusev had actually needed this surgery for a while, so it wasn’t exactly one match that resulted in an injury that took him out of action. At the time, it was reported that Rusev was going to be out for at least two months.

Rusev’s wife Lana then gave an interview about a month after the surgery and said that Rusev was recovering well but that he would still need another two to four months. This placed his return sometime between June and August.

“He just started working out again. He’s really excited about that,” Lana said during a Sirius XM interview. “Yesterday he went to the gym and did two separate hours of cardio. So I’m glad he’s feeling better…[He’s expected back in] 2 to 4 months, somewhere around there. Yeah. That’s what they said.”

This shoulder surgery required Rusev to miss WrestleMania 33 back in April. He also missed the superstar shake up, during which he was drafted from Raw to SmackDown Live. He still has yet to make his debut as a new member of the SmackDown Live roster, though.

In late April, Rusev made his first appearance on WWE programming in over two months, saying via satellite that he refused to come to SmackDown Live unless Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan gave him a match at Money in the Bank. Rusev later said on Twitter that he would be coming on SmackDown Live to get his answer. But Rusev never appeared on SmackDown Live like he promised, and he obviously never got a match at Money in the Bank. The WWE’s planned storyline for Rusev reportedly changed when the decision was made to make Jinder Mahal the WWE Champion.

Speaking of which, it should be interesting to see what Rusev has to say about Jinder Mahal becoming WWE Champion. After all, Rusev’s most recent WWE storyline was with Mahal. They started teaming up towards the end of 2016, with that alliance continuing into 2017 as Rusev and Mahal fought in tag team matches. In February, there were some hints of a potential rivalry between them, as Rusev accidentally distracted Mahal in a match and caused Mahal to lose. But this never really went anywhere, and the last thing that happened was at Fastlane, Mick Foley gave both Rusev and Mahal their own single’s matches.

Rusev’s wife Lana also recently made her debut on the SmackDown Live brand, losing to Naomi in a match at Money in the Bank; this is something Rusev will no doubt comment on if he does indeed return to SmackDown on the June 20th show.