During a recent edition of “The Brand” podcast, Vince Russo and former WWE wrestler “Big” Vito LoGrosso discussed Randy Orton defeating Rusev again, Charlotte Flair facing Natalya & more. Below are the highlights:
On the SmackDown Women’s Championship match at Hell In A Cell 2017:
Russo: I want to talk about a couple of things with Natalya and Charlotte. I felt they hurt the match working the leg for as long as they did. You want to do it towards the end.
I just felt it took away from the freakin’ match. Her selling that leg which seemed like through the entire match. What did you think?
Vito: Well first, I want to answer your question about Natalya. She is a great wrestler. The things that she lacks is charisma. She doesn’t have the oomph behind her character. Now what you said about Charlotte with the leg.
Making sure to sell the leg for all that time put Charlotte on the same level as Natalya because Charlotte is a better wrestler. I think she’s head over heels over Natalya and by cutting her down to one leg it put them on an even playing field.
And I looked forward to that match because I expected to see Charlotte shine in that match and what I got out of that match? It was a dull match. It was a dull heel thing. Natalya wasn’t aggressive enough to be vicious.
I know at the end she used the chair and she did that but during working the legs, she just didn’t have that like go get him heel, I’m the champion, throw it in your face. It just was another lackluster match in my opinion.
On Randy Orton defeating Rusev again and why Rusev is possibly not getting a push:
Russo: Why does Randy Orton need this win more than Rusev? What could Rusev have possibly done to pi$$ people off?
Vito: There has to be something done and it has to be something backstage. Could be with his wife. It could be…. you know….. he said something to somebody about looking at his wife and that’s the problem with having couples in wrestling. Because guys take it personal.
When you got a sexy lady with you and it’s your wife or girlfriend who you’re dating, everybody’s looking at them and you might take it personally. You might say something to the wrong person who’s in creative that controls your push. So that could be a problem.
Rusev is protective of his wife. He does love his wife and he doesn’t want people looking at her in that kind of manner and maybe that’s what happened.
As far as him being a legit guy and a real deal, he is one of my favorite heels. And they killed him. They killed him because he’s believable, he’s got a good look, he turned up his body, he can do the gimmick and they just used him as just a stepping board.
Randy Orton already beat him once, beat him twice, already gave him the RKO on the last go home. There was no need for him to beat him. If we would have seen Lana run in and make the save. Now we’ve got something. Lana and Rusev are back. I just think it was just a wasted match and it just had no oomph to it.
