Former WWE Superstar Rusev Makes His Debut at All Elite Wrestling

Former WWE wrestler and ardent Twitch streamer Miroslav Barnyashev made his surprising debut on Wednesday’s episode of All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite. Known simply as Rusev during his ten-year run with the WWE, the 34-year-old athlete appeared on the show as “Miro” — Kip Sabian’s  “Best Man” for Sabian and fiancée Penelope Ford’s wedding. Both Sabian and Ford are AEW wrestlers.

Miro wasted no time cutting a scathing promo, allegedly taking shots at the WWE. He stated, “Ten years. In the same house. Under the same glass ceiling, with an imaginary brass ring. Well you can take that brass ring and shove it up your a**.” Miro then released a video on his YouTube channel confirming that his promo was one-hundred percent genuine. “Today is a special day. ‘Cause today is the best day ever….it’s not just a gimmick. It’s not just a name. It’s not something that I just came up with. If you haven’t heard any of the promo or anything I said, I really meant that,” he began.

Miro added, “Ten years…the same roof. Glass ceiling. Always pitched that there’s this ‘brass ring,’ this imaginary ‘brass ring’ that…I already told you what to do with that brass ring. I just, all day going back and forth, back and forth just thinking, ‘What should I say?’ Then it was like it’s not just ‘What should I say?’ but the things that I say just, I felt all the things. I do feel all these things.”

After Miro’s shocking reveal, himself and All Elite Wrestling confirmed his official signing with the professional wrestling promotion via Twitter.

Miro’s time with the WWE came to an end on April 15. He was released from his WWE contract due to budgetary cuts within the company as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Miro’s last match in the WWE, with took place on Monday Night Raw, occurred in February. Not long after his WWE release, Miroslav Barnyashev told fans via Instagram in May that he was set on expanding his YouTube and Twitch channels.

All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.