During a Fanatics Live stream hosted at WWE World in Las Vegas on Thursday, Big E officially confirmed that former WWE star Rusev is set to return to the company. This news comes after weeks of speculation surrounding the former AEW talent’s release, and follows sightings of Rusev at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
While opening a pack of WWE trading cards alongside Tyler Breeze, Big E came across a 2017 Rusev card, prompting the confirmation:
“Someone that has just been announced to return. You didn’t see that? I reached out to him, and he confirmed that the news is indeed true,” Big E said. “I don’t know when he’ll be back, but there is Rusev. A blast from the past. And actually, this is very topical because he has just announced that he is returning to the squared circle here in World Wrestling Entertainment.”
Though WWE has not issued an official announcement, Rusev’s return has reportedly been in the works for some time. His presence at WWE HQ in recent weeks has fueled speculation about his imminent reappearance.
Notably, Rusev—who competed under the name Miro in AEW—has not been seen on WWE programming since his release in 2020. With WrestleMania 41 around the corner and Randy Orton still without a confirmed opponent, fans are now heavily speculating that Rusev may be revealed as Orton’s mystery challenger in Las Vegas.
