Wrestlers come from all over the world these days to compete on the biggest stage in the world – Rusev is no exception. The Bulgarian’s body structure and muscle mass should come as no surprise especially when you find out that before the fight he had been a strider and a rower.
Rusev, as of 2018 is signed to WWE and fights under the SmackDown brand . For his efforts, he won the United States Championship twice. The huge Bulgarian fighter has established himself as one of the promotion’s most popular figures. This is true regardless of the fact that he almost always plays heel.
Biography of Rusev (Age)
Rusev was born in Plovdiv, the second largest city in his native country, on December 25, 1984. His real name is Miroslav Barnyashev. Miroslav’s sports history began when he enrolled in a sports school. This led him to participate in rowing and powerlifting a few years after school.
In his attempt to become a professional wrestler, Miroslav moved to the United States where he eventually began training at Knokx Pro Wrestling Academy in Torrance, California.
Beginning in 2008, the Bulgarian wrestled under independent promotions such as New Wave Pro Wrestling and Vendetta Pro Wrestling before signing a professional contract with WWE in September 2010.
Pro Wrestling Career and Injuries
Until July 24, 2014, Rusev, going by the name Alexander Rusev wrestled on WWE’s developmental territory, the Florida Wrestling Championship (renamed NXT in 2012). He suffered multiple injuries there but managed to pick up victories against such main wrestlers as Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston and Sin Cara.
The Bulgarian powerhouse made their main roster debut in April 2014 in a Royal Rumble event. He went on to earn prestigious wins over Mark Henry, R-Truth, Big Show, Zack Ryder and Sheamus. His win over Sheamus saw him earn the United States Championship title from the wrestler. He managed to retain the title in defense against Jack Swagger and John Cena. He ultimately lost to Cena at WrestleMania 31 after a 146-day reign.
After ending his affiliation with his manager, Lana, who accompanies him from NXT, Rusev fractured his foot in a match against Ryback, preventing him from challenging for the vacant Intercontinental Championship at the time. However, he then defeated Cesaro and Kevin Owens in a three-threat match in an attempt to counter John Cena. He won Cena by disqualification after Owens attacked during the fight.
After a storyline relationship with fellow wrestler Summer Rae, Rusev got engaged to his real-life former Lana. This led to her TV romance with Rae ending on October 12, 2015, on an episode of Raw.
Rusev won his second United States Championship title on May 22, 2016 at Extreme Rules Kalisto’s event winner via submission. The Bulgarian successfully defended the title against Titus O’Neil, Kalisto, Cesaro, Zack Ryder and Mark Henry in different pay-per-view events. Roman Reigns finally claimed the title after defeating the Bulgarian on September 25, 2016 at Clash of Champions, ending his 126-day reign.
After a brief alliance with Jinder Mahal, Rusev and Lana disappeared from the competition to allow the wrestler to undergo surgery due to an injury he had suffered.
Rusev who was drafted to the Raw brand at the 2016 WWE Draft was moved to SmackDown at the 2017 WWE Superstar Shake-up on April 11, 2017. He had a highly publicized feud here with Randy Orton. On June 19, 2018, he had recorded fights with artists such as The Undertaker, AJ Styles, Bobby Roode and Daniel Bryan.
The hulking fighter has also been featured in a series of WWE games, making his debut in WWE 2K15 as a playable character.
Net Worth – How Wealthy Is It?
The pioneer fighter joined WWE in 2014 and since then, according to different sources, he has earned between $250,000 and half a million dollars every year. His net worth is estimated at $1 million.
His wife (lana)
As previously reported, Rusev got engaged to his manager Lana in 2012. As well as being his manager and “social ambassador,” Lana – real name Catherine Joy Perry – is also a professional wrestler, actress, singer, model and dancer. . She was once part of a group of singers known as No Means Yes. The band was signed to singer Ne-Yo’s label. They separated in 2010. Rusev and Lana married in July 2016. They live in Nashville, Tennessee.
Rusev’s height and other facts
1. The Bulgarian stands at a reasonably tall height of 1.83m and maintains a weight of 138kg.
2. WWE wrestlers come from all over the world. However, Rusev is the first from his country Bulgaria to sign on the platform.
3. Early in his wrestling career, he was trained by top WWE players Gangrel and Rikishi.
4. Rusev was fighting with no protection for his feet except for ankle socks. However, after fracturing his foot in one of his injury spells, the fighter decided the shoes were a good idea after all.
5. He has been part of different wrestling stables throughout his career. The most popular include Legionnaires who fight during his time at NXT and The League of Nations While Raw.