Rusev has looked back on his career-defining feud with John Cena in 2015, crediting the 17-time World Champion for shaping his success and making it clear he wants to be the man to retire him.

Speaking with VoxCatch, Rusev reflected on his heated rivalry with Cena, which saw the then-undefeated “Bulgarian Brute” battle WWE’s biggest star in a series of main event clashes.

“I learned a lot from John Cena. You know, I got to wrestle him quite a bit throughout my years in WWE. And I owe a lot of my success to him, because I got to learn from him, wrestling him, beating him as well,” Rusev said. “So I’m always going to be thankful for that.”

Their feud famously featured a United States Championship match at WrestleMania 31, remembered for Rusev’s dramatic entrance riding a military tank alongside Lana. He called the moment “a dream” and “surreal,” adding, “And that moment was special. You know, it’s WrestleMania, that’s the pinnacle of every professional wrestler. And to go out on a tank with my wife Lana in front of 75,000 people was absolutely a dream that you can’t even have when you’re a kid.”

With Cena now on his farewell tour, set to culminate with his final match on December 13, Rusev wants to close the chapter on both their careers.

“He started my career, now I can end his, which [would] be very appropriate,” Rusev declared. “And karma always strikes back at the end of the day.”

Rusev returned to WWE earlier this year after a run in AEW and most recently defeated Sheamus at the Clash in Paris premium live event. The full interview is available on VoxCatch.

Comment - Join WNS (It’s Free!) 

Ready to join the discussion? Sign up in 30 seconds to comment on wrestling news, connect with fans, and track your activity on the WNS leaderboard. Click the link to sign up today - Become a Member (Don't forget to verify your email!).