Rusev and CJ Perry have announced that they are expecting their first child.
After separating in 2023, Rusev and CJ Perry reconciled last year. In an interview with People, Perry revealed that the couple started IVF after getting back together, and had a successful embryo transfer in August 2026.
“We started IVF in 2025, and on August 10, 2026, we had our embryo transfer,” Perry shares with PEOPLE. “We were so nervous. We had to wait nine days for our first pregnancy test on August 19, followed by another on August 21 to confirm the pregnancy.”
“Those days felt like the longest of our lives! There was a lot of surrendering, letting go and trusting God through the uncertainty.”
Perry says she and Rusev decided to find out the sex of the baby at the first opportunity, as IVF had been full of uncertainty up to that point.
“Our first embryo to come back with normal genetic testing results was a boy, and he was the one we transferred. When they gave me the option to find out the sex, I wanted to know immediately! There’s so much uncertainty during IVF that I wanted as much information as possible.”
Rusev & CJ Perry Name Their Baby ‘Bear’
After finding out they were having a son, Rusev knew what to name him. He explained that he had a “vision” of calling him ‘Bear’ a decade ago.
“Ten years ago, I had a vision of naming our son Bear, and we chose his middle name to honor my father. Bear will be his first grandson.”
Rusev returned to WWE in 2025 after AEW granted him his release. The star last appeared on WWE TV back in July, but recently returned to the ring at live events during WWE’s October tour of Hawaii.
