Rusev seemingly took a dig at AEW during a recent interview while also revealing why he returned to WWE. The former AEW TNT Champion was with Tony Khan’s promotion for nearly five years.
After nearly a decade with WWE, The Bulgarian Brute was released during the COVID-19 pandemic. He had a rollercoaster career under Vince McMahon, but he made the most out of it. He won the United States Championship three times.
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Under the name Miro, he joined AEW a few months after his WWE release. His tenure there was initially promising before being limited to sporadic appearances in the final couple of years of his contract.
On the latest episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Rusev opened up about why he decided to return to WWE. He seemingly took a subtle shot at AEW with his answer.
“I wanted to wrestle. I wanted to mix it up with the best. I know that the roster is stacked. I don’t remember the last time it was this stacked, but I just want to mix it with everybody. I wanted to wrestle more and more, and all these European tours and everything. I love all that, I love the grind,” the WWE star said. [H/T chrisvanvliet.com]
Due to AEW’s tagline of “where the best wrestle,” the God’s Favorite Champion saying that he signed with WWE to wrestle the best seems like a subtle dig at his former employer.
Rusev’s next feud teased on Raw
After losing to Jey Uso in The Last Time is Now Tournament, Rusev was taken off WWE television to keep him fresh for new storylines. He did wrestle a couple of matches on Main Event before returning at the 2026 Royal Rumble.
However, The Redeemer’s time at the Rumble was short-lived after he was eliminated by Oba Femi. He made his return to Raw on Monday in Memphis, Tennessee, during a backstage segment.
Adam Pearce gave Oba Femi a counteroffer after Nick Aldis tried to sign the former NXT Champion to SmackDown. Just when Oba was walking away, Rusev showed up, and the two had an intense staredown.
It will be interesting to see if the two massive men get to face each other for the first time before or after Elimination Chamber.
Edited by JP David
