Personal Information
Full Name | Miroslav Barnyashev |
Date of Birth | December 25, 1985 |
Age | 39 Years |
Nationality | Bulgarian |
Birth Place | Plovdiv, PR Bulgaria |
Height | 6ft |
Weight | 304 lb (138 kg) |
Theme Song | "Roar of the Lion" |
Debut | November 22, 2008 |
Nickname | The Best Man |
Family | CJ Perry (Wife) |
Rusev Videos
Rusev: A Brief Biography
- Rusev Biography
- Rusev Contract
- Rusev Family
- Rusev Professional Wrestling Career
- Rusev Finisher and Signature Moves
- Rusev Entrance Themes
- Rusev Championships, Accomplishments & Awards
- Rusev Manager
- Rusev Trainers
- Rusev Tag Teams and Stables
- Rusev Nicknames
- Rusev Acting Career
- Rusev Video Games Appearances
- Rusev Related Pages

Rusev is a Bulgarian professional wrestler who was signed to WWE and began working under the RAW brand in April 2025. The former AEW star worked for the promotion for five years (2020-2025), where he was known as Miro and won the AEW TNT Championship one time. The former three-time WWE United States Champion was named the Most Improved Wrestler of the Year in 2014.
Rusev Biography
Name | Miroslav Petrov Barnyashev |
Born | December 25, 1985 |
Occupations | Professional Wrestler, Actor |
Active Years | 2008-Present |
Partner/ Spouse | CJ Perry (aka Lana) |
Mother | Slavka Barnyashev (Mother) |
Ring name(s) | Rusev (April 2025 - Present) Miro (April 2020 - April 2025) Rusev (May 2014 - April 2020) Alexander Rusev (June 2011 - May 2014) Miroslav Makarov (November 2008 - June 2011) |
Billed Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
Billed Weight | 304 lb (138 kg) |
Billed From | Bulgaria |
Trained by | Gangrel and Rikishi |
Debut | November 22, 2008 |
Nationality | Bulgarian |
Rusev Contract
As per reports, Rusev signed a two-year deal with the WWE in early April 2025. He left the company in 2020 and returned to the promotion after five years.
Rusev Family
Rusev introduced the WWE Universe to his family in an episode of RAW on Raw on October 17, 2016. There, he shared the pictures of his family, including his father, mother, and brother. His mother's name is Slavka Barnyashev, but he didn't disclose the names of his father and brother. Rusev also disclosed that his father worked in the army and was a pro wrestler like him. Rusev is married to CJ Perry, who is also known by her professional name Lana. She worked as a manager for her husband in the WWE and was a part of different storylines. She also appeared in AEW with Rusev.
Rusev Professional Wrestling Career
- Rusev in Independent Promotions (2008-2010)
- Rusev in the WWE (2010-2020)
- Rusev in AEW (2020-2025)
- Rusev in Qatar Pro Wrestling (2025)
- Resuv returned to the WWE (2025-present)
Rusev Finisher and Signature Moves
Rusev uses "Game Over" or "The Accolade" as his finishing move as of April 2025. He has been using this Camel Clutch move since May 30, 2013. He also used "Machka Kick," which is a Jumping Savate Kick since April 7, 2014, and "Bulplex", an Oklahoma Roll into a Release German suplex since November 22, 2008.
Rusev Entrance Themes
Song Name | Artist | Tenure |
"Рев на лъвът" /"Roar of the Lion" | CFO$ | January 26, 2014 - July 29, 2020 and April 21, 2025 -Present |
"Redeemer" | Mikey Rukus | June 30, 2021 - February 10, 2025 |
"The Best Man" | Mikey Rukus | September 9, 2020 - June 29, 2021 |
"A League of Their Own" | Jim Johnston | December 7, 2015 - April 28, 2016 |
"Mila Rodino" | Tsvetan Radoslavov | June 9, 2011 - January 29, 2014 |
Rusev Championships, Accomplishments & Awards

Promotion | Title |
WWE | WWE United States Championship (3x) |
AEW | AEW TNT Championship (1x) |
Rusev Awards and Nominations
WWE | Slammy Award for Match of the Year (2014) |
Pro Wrestling Illustrated | Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2014) |
WrestleCrap | Gooker Award (2015) |
Wrestling Observer Newsletter | Best Gimmick (2014) Most Improved (2014) Most Underrated (2017) |
Rusev Manager
Rusev's wife CJ Perry worked as his on-screen manager when he made his debut in 2013 and had worked in this role till 2016. Rusev was also managed by Raquel Diaz, Summer Rae, Markus Mac, Nick Rogers, and Sylvester Lefort.
Rusev Trainers
Rusev was trained under the mentorship of Gangrel (birth name: David William Heath) and WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi (birth name: Solofa Fatu Jr.).
Rusev Tag Teams and Stables
Promotion | Team Members | Tenure | |
WWE | Alberto Del Rio, Rusev, Sheamus, King Barrett (League of Nations) | 2015-2016 | |
WWE | Jinder Mahal & Rusev | 2016-2017 | |
WWE | Aiden English & Rusev | 2017 | |
WWE | Aiden English & Rusev (Rusev Day) | 2018 | |
AEW | Kip Sabian & Miro | 2020-2021 |
Rusev Nicknames
Rusev has several nicknames such as "The Super-Athlete", "The Bulgarian Brute", "The Bashing Bulgarian", "Ru Ru", "The Hero of the Russian Federation", "The Russian Tank", and "Handsome".
Rusev Acting Career
Rusev has made appearances in 3 films, 2 TV Shows, and 2 web series as of April 2025.
Movies
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2016 | Countdown | Himself |
2016 | Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon | Himself |
2018 | Another Version Of You | Kiril |
TV Shows
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2016–2018 | Total Divas | Himself |
2022 | East New York | Nickie Dushkin |
Web Series
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2015–2020 | UpUpDownDown | Himself/Roman Reigns/Tong Po |
2016 | Sisters the Series | Boyfriend |
Rusev Video Games Appearances
Rusev appears as a selectable character across multiple entries in the WWE 2K video game series, including WWE 2K15 through WWE 2K20. His presence spans six consecutive editions.
Rusev Related Pages
Rusev Height | Rusev Family |
FAQs on Rusev
A. Miroslav Petrov Barnyashev is the real name of Rusev.
A. Rusev is 39 years old as of April 2025.
A. The billed height of Rusev is 6 ft 0 in (183 cm).
A. The billed weight of Rusev is 304 lb (138 kg).