WWE’s original plans to push Rusev following his return to the company have reportedly ended in disappointment. Despite early optimism, momentum around the former United States Champion appears to have stalled significantly.
AEW Creative Issues
During Rusev’s earlier run in AEW, as Miro, he would be off television for long stretches of time with no explanation. There were myriad reports at the time that there had been creative differences — including one claiming he was loath to lose certain matches. Those are the issues that raised questions about his long-term direction, before he finally had to leave.
Rusev’s Strong Return
When Rusev returned to WWE in 2025, there was a belief that those concerns were in the past. He was immediately placed into a featured feud with longtime friend Sheamus. That program positioned him strongly and was followed by involvement in the Intercontinental Championship picture alongside Dominik Mysterio and Penta. The booking suggested confidence in his role moving forward.
However, Rusev’s presence on television quickly faded. His last notable SmackDown appearance came when he lost a “Last Time Is Now” tournament quarter-final match to Jey Uso. Since then, he has wrestled only once on Main Event and has not been featured consistently on WWE programming.
Meltzer on Unreal
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed the situation. Meltzer noted that WWE Unreal revealed the company had ambitious plans that ultimately failed to materialize. He said, “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 the 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.”
Rusev could still resurface in the Royal Rumble on January 31. A surprise appearance remains possible given WWE’s history with such returns. Even if he makes it into the match, hopes are not high that he’d be on his way to a title shot at WrestleMania 42.
As of now, it’s hard to say what the WWE has in store for Rusev as the company direction keeps changing.
