WWE’s Rusev Recalls Mixed Messages From Vince McMahon About Being Heel Or Babyface

WWE

WWE star Rusev has recalled getting mixed messages in the past from Vince McMahon about whether he wanted Rusev to be heel or babyface.

Both Rusev and his wife CJ Perry (Lana) have discussed Rusev’s previous years in WWE and communications with Vince McMahon.

First, after discussing Rusev’s physical transformation over the years, Perry told a story about what Vince McMahon said to Rusev when he dropped some weight back in 2019

On the Identity Crisis podcast, Perry recalled:

“He goes, ‘I want my 300 pound Bulgarian Brute. That man puts asses in seats. That heel.’ He goes, ‘I want you as a heel, I want you 300 pounds, Bulgarian Brute, because that sells tickets.’

“You (Rusev) said, ‘Turn me heel brother.’ You said, ‘I’m the best heel in the business, turn me heel.’

“I’ll never forget this. Vince was like, ‘I have so many babyfaces, but I don’t have any 300 pound Bulgarian Brutes.’

“What he was saying is that, in this world, Eastern Europeans and Russians are conditioned to be the bad guys, and I know you have studied all the greatest bad guys and villains in TV and movies, and you had really perfected that.

“And that was really in my opinion his back way of complimenting, saying you’re the best at being a villain.”

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Rusev then went onto say McMahon had given him mixed messages in the past about whether he wanted Rusev to be a heel or a babyface, including in 2016. Rusev said:

“He called me in the office before the Goldberg thing, saying, ‘Hey, do this favor for me and I’m gonna owe you one.’

“And then he said, ‘What do you think about turning babyface?’ I’m like, ‘Vince, if you’re behind it, I’m behind it, because I know it’s gonna work.’

“So he’s asked me to be a babyface before. But then he’s asked me to be a heel again after.

“That’s what I’m saying, there’s all these mixed messages with nothing in between.”

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• Rusev
• wwe
• Vince McMahon

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