WWE originally planned to culminate the intense rivalry between Bobby Lashley and Rusev in a high-profile WrestleMania match, but this notable encounter never materialized. The storyline, which featured real-life complexities involving Rusev’s then-wife Lana, unfolded in 2019 and was intended to build dramatic tension towards WrestleMania.
The storyline began in September 2019 during a WWE Universal Championship match on RAW, where Lana shocked audiences by appearing with Lashley, sparking a fictional affair that escalated the feud. The angle developed through a series of dramatic moments involving betrayal, divorce narratives, and unconventional plot twists, but the momentum faded after Lashley defeated Rusev in early 2020.
Rusev Opens Up About Missed WrestleMania Match With Lashley
In an insightful interview with Chris Van Vliet, Rusev discussed how WWE pitched the rivalry as a lead-up to a WrestleMania showdown against Lashley. Despite the strong initial setup and storyline progression, the planned marquee match was eventually scrapped.
Rusev described the story’s direction and his feelings about it, explaining that while it was not his preferred storyline, he recognized the narrative structure, which included rises, falls, and a final payoff. However, the anticipated WrestleMania clash never happened, partially due to Lashley’s WWE release in April 2020 and ongoing changes in storyline priorities. Instead, Lashley faced Aleister Black in a singles bout at WrestleMania 36.
“WrestleMania match. That’s how it was pitched to me. I said, Great, I can deal with that. We just never got there. But it was a good story. I understood the story. It was not my favorite story, but I understood it. And when they told me what the final goal was, I said, All right, that sounds good to me. We have a direction, we have a dip, we have a comeback. We have a good story to finish it,” Rusev said.
– Rusev, Professional Wrestler
Handling On-Screen Betrayal and the Reality Behind It
Van Vliet probed Rusev on his reaction to the storyline’s most dramatic elements, like Lana’s on-screen intimacy with Lashley. Rusev dismissed any negative personal feelings, emphasizing that in professional wrestling, such moments are part of the business and acting.
“It’s acting, though, it’s nothing else, all these Hollywood people, and she’s the only one. How many other WWE female Superstars have made out with so many people? It’s just part of the business. If you start selling it, of course it’s gonna go bad for you, but as long as you take it just to work, it’s nothing else than just to work,” Rusev responded.
– Rusev, Professional Wrestler
Career Movements and Legacy of the Feud’s Participants
Following his WWE departure, Rusev spent several years competing in AEW under the ring name Miro before returning to WWE in 2025. Meanwhile, Lashley reached the peak of his WWE career by claiming the WWE Championship in 2021, though he also eventually left WWE for AEW upon his contract’s expiration in 2024.
The abandoned WrestleMania match between Lashley and Rusev remains a notable “what if” scenario in WWE history, as it combined real-life relationships with scripted drama and could have been a defining moment for both superstars during the company’s most prominent annual event.
