10 Post-WWE Runs That Were Nothing Like We Expected
2. Miro
It's WrestleMania 31: Rusev enters on a tank, he's undefeated, a superstar in the making.
It's 15 minutes later: Rusev's fallen to a single AA, he continues falling for years.
Despite a good deal of charisma, intensity and humour in his persona and ring work, Rusev never wound up getting the level of push he was cut out for in WWE. When he and Aiden English partnered up for the popular Rusev Day angle, it seemed like WWE were almost angry with the fans for liking it.
The last straw came with the Jerry Springer-esque Lashley/Lana feud. Paul Heyman at his dirt worst wound up proving fans still wanted to support the Bulgarian Brute. In response, WWE jobbed him out to Lashley on a weekly basis before taking him off TV entirely. With the likes of the late, great Brodie Lee and Jon Moxley finding new life and better star treatment in AEW, expectations for a Rusev run were high.
Before one even gets to his eccentric fashion choices, Miro as a character simply doesn't work. He appears much more interested in promoting his Twitch than in rising up the card. The Best Man angle with Kip Sabian has been goofy undercard fodder at best. Beyond the occasional explosive attack on the likes of Orange Cassidy and Chuckie T, the old Rusev is a distant (and missed) memory for now.