WWE Star Teases Big Character Change on Monday Night Raw

It appears that WWE might be ready to start celebrating a special holiday once again.

After receiving a contract offer from Nick Aldis Friday night on SmackDown, former NXT Champion Oba Femi appeared backstage tonight on WWE Raw, where Adam Pearce attempted to give The Ruler a better offer. But it wasn't the contract offer that got fans talking.

Before leaving Pearce's office, Oba Femi bumped into former Intercontinental Champion Rusev. Underneath the jean jacket of the Bulgarian Brute was an all-too-familiar shirt from his past that reads, "Happy Rusev Day."

Where will The Ruler @Obaofwwe sign? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/nOIGp8FZlx
— WWE (@WWE) February 17, 2026

Rusev Day was a holiday celebrated in WWE for several years. It was arguably one of the best runs of Rusev's WWE career, allowing him to reach a new level of popularity and become a massive merchandise mover.

If WWE and Rusev were looking to test the waters with the t-shirt tonight, it most certainly worked as the Raw Superstar almost immediately began trending on social media following the segment.

Is Rusev Day the right direction for the Bulgarian Brute?

It's worth noting that Rusev Day was also created during a down point of his initial WWE run. After suffering a loss to Randy Orton in a matter of seconds at SummerSlam 2017, Rusev would go on to avenge the loss weeks later on SmackDown. The victory clearly meant something to him. After having an in-ring segment celebrating the victory, Rusev Day was born.

The Rusev Day phenomenon was a turning point in the Raw Superstar's career, forcing WWE to turn The Bulgarian Brute babyface despite their best efforts to keep him heel. Despite his ever-growing popularity at the time, WWE released the former Intercontinental Champion in May 2020.

It's no secret that Rusev's return to WWE after a run in All Elite Wrestling hasn't gone according to plan. After his initial push stalled last year, The Bulgarian Brute was taken off of WWE programming after suffering a loss to Jey Uso in John Cena's Last Time is Now Tournament. He didn't appear again until last month's Royal Rumble, when he was eliminated in less than a minute.

If WWE is looking to embrace Rusev Day once again, this could be the chance to see if they can catch lightning in a bottle once again. Rusev has all the tools needed to be a top star in the company; he just needs the right opportunity on Raw to prove it.

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