Rusev Reveals Why Vince McMahon Shortened His WWE Ring Name

Rusev is a WWE Superstar who hasn't been seen in some time.

The Bulgarian Brute, who hasn't wrestled a match on a WWE televised event since the Super ShowDown

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, was last seen teaming with Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown Live.

While Nakamura has recaptured old form to go on and win the Intercontinental Championship from Finn Balor at last Sunday's Extreme Rules pay-per-view, poor old Rusev hasn't been seen on SmackDown Live in some time and seemingly doesn't have a route back onto the show any times soon.

Nevertheless, the former United States Champion has been speaking to Bulgarian TV show

At Cafe

and has revealed why Vince McMahon removed his first name: “[WWE] gives you an option to submit names you like and I was thinking about it. Then to make a joke with my friend Vasil, Vasil Rusev, who I used to share a rowing boat with, I chose Rusev. And I was Alexander Rusev with Alexander later being dropped.

"I liked Alexander because it sounded [mighty] and Bulgarian. But then it got dropped because Vince Mcmahon said ‘Ugh, Alexander, they’ll start calling you Alex as a nickname, and you have to be a Russian/Bulgarian villain. We’re dropping it’.”