It has been reported that WWE’s original plans to push Rusev upon his return have ended in disappointment.
Rusev’s time in AEW was marked with long, unexplained absences from television. Then known as Miro, the star was accused in several reports of being unwilling to lose certain matches and having issues with the company’s creative for him.
It was thought that his problems were behind him when he made his return to WWE in 2025. He was quickly embroiled in a feud with his old friend Sheamus before entering the Intercontinental Championship picture with Dominik Mysterio and Penta.
However, perhaps the more things change, the more they stay the same, as the last time he was seen on SmackDown was when he lost a “Last Time Is Now” tournament quarter-final to Jey Uso. Since then, the former US Champion has had only one outing on Main Event and has not been seen since.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that WWE Unreal showed that the company had big plans for Rusev, but none of them panned out as he’s proved to be a disappointment:
“He’s been a huge disappointment, I mean if you saw that ‘WWE Unreal’ stuff, I mean you could see that he was being groomed for top spot. He was going to lose the King of the Ring final to Cody Rhodes. He was going to face Jey Uso for the title on a pay-per-view and obviously none of that happened. So there you go, I mean it’s not like they brought him in to marginalise him. They brought him in, they wanted to make him a monster, he didn’t get over and that’s where he’s at right now.”
When Could Rusev Return To WWE TV?
Rusev could be in line for a surprise return in the upcoming Royal Rumble on January 31st. However, even if he is part of that match, it’s unlikely that he’ll be the one surviving to book his place in a title match at WrestleMania 42.
