RUTGER RUST
Hailing from: Lafayette, LA
Height: 6' 6"
Weight: 280 lbs.
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Signature Moves
Atomic Drop
Fireman's Carry: backbreaker, drop, slam
Powerbombs
The Social Justice Spear
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Finisher
Rust in Piece (unreleased Choke Slam, lift opponent, second Choke Slam)
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Rutger Rust is new to AAW, and he's pissed.
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We aren't sure yet about his motivations in the organization, other than that he seems really, REALLY pissed off with Marcus Smart.
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A huge slab of a man, formerly an NFL football player, rumors are that Rutger Rust is motivated by a vehement (some say overblown) sense of justice. The coming days will show exactly what Rutger's true motivations are.
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Outside the Ring
Rutger Rust (real name Russell "Rusty" Deveraux) was always a bit bigger than the other kids. His growth spurt came early and ended with him being a solid 6' 6", 280 by the time he finished high school.
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Being the big kid left two general options in high school. You either become the bully (which is not the way that Rusty was wired), or you end up protecting the little guy, which is what Rusty chose. It put him at odds with a lot of his football teammates, who would have much rather chosen the first option.
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He was recruited by a few top SEC schools but chose a smaller college for the opportunity to start all four years. That lead to being a mid-round draft pick by a Bay Area professional football team, where everyone said he was a steal because of his size and work ethic.
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His professional career lasted only one season though, after getting into a knock-down, drag-out fight in practice with one of the offensive linemen. Rusty broke the unwritten code of football by talking to the press about it. "The guy was an unrepentant racist asshole," the quote that ended his career read. "I didn't want him to think he could get away with talking that way, or assuming that I'd agree with him because we're both white. That shit is unacceptable...which I showed him."
While that drummed him out of the NFL, it did gain him a small but loyal fanbase in northern California, a fanbase that tentatively came along with him when he joined the indie wrestling circuit. The idea of being a Face had always appealed to him, obviously, and seeing the Eddie Law gimmick in action, he wanted in on that action.
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Booked by indie Creative with the unfortunate name of Rutger Paladin, he served as Eddie Law's enforcer for some time. When Eddie turned heel, the two had a falling out (in kayfabe...they're still relatively friendly backstage). Eddie/Marcus assumed that Rust would follow him, and he didn't.
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It would have been a great ongoing feud, but a bad bump ended up sidelining Rutger for a while. By the time he was off the IR, "Marcus Smart" had already debuted in the AAW, and Rutger Paladin was left without a storyline.
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So, now he's approached Marcus about renewing their feud under different gimmicks, with a lot of nods and winks to their indie days.