More than two months after the strange build to Rusev’s casket match loss to the Undertaker at the Greatest Royal Rumble, we finally have the complete story behind exactly what went down.
Rusev was announced for the match, then he was pulled in favor of Chris Jericho, and eventually ended up back in the match.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer noted the Prince of Saudi Arabia requested Rusev for the big match once Jericho was named as his replacement, but there wasn’t ever any mention of why Rusev was pulled in the first place. That was until Rusev discussed the situation on a recent episode of WWE’s Ride Along, where Rusev and Aiden English reminisced about what went down.
Rusev: “Remember when Vince told me I was going to face the Undertaker, and I laughed at him.”
English: “You just laughed in the chairman’s face. One of the biggest matches of your career.”
Rusev: “And what did I get for it? I got pulled out. And then the prince called.”
English: “And he said, ‘Screw that, we want Rusev Day.'”
Rusev: “You told me Rusev Day was coming to town, baby.”
Undertaker went on to bury Rusev softly into the casket alongside English, while Jericho saw a relatively quick out in the gigantic Rumble match. Jericho returned to New Japan shortly afterward, setting up his rivalry with Naito, while Rusev went on to laugh about the whole thing in a car with the guy who joined him in the casket a few weeks later.
