Rusev Addresses AEW Booking Rumors and Explains Why He Chose WWE

Rusev is setting the record straight about why he came back to WWE — and it wasn’t about unfinished business or nostalgia. It was about wrestling.

After returning to WWE in May 2025, five years after being released during the pandemic-era cuts, Rusev has now opened up about what pushed him to make the jump back from AEW. And according to him, it came down to one simple thing: he missed the grind.

Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Rusev made it clear that he wanted to be in the ring consistently and against top-tier talent.

“I wanted to wrestle, man. I wanted to mix it up with the best. And I know that the roster is stacked, clearly. Their roster is really stacked. I don’t remember the last time it was this stacked, but I just want to mix it [up] with everybody. I wanted to wrestle more and more and all these European tours and everything.”

Near the end of his AEW run, Rusev was off television for an extended period — something he has admitted was difficult given how much he values staying active. He didn’t shy away from describing how much he missed WWE’s demanding schedule.

“I love all that. I love the grind. Because when we first started, we were five days on the road: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, you go home Wednesday, you’re out on the road again on Friday. And that’s just how life was. As hard as it was, that’s how you get better, just by putting the work.”

Rusev even romanticized the physical toll of the road life.

“Like wrestling, you know, getting beat up, getting the rental car, driving three hours to the next town, getting the hotel, waking up, working out, doing the same thing. Just makes you feel like a real professional wrestler. I missed the grind. I missed that. I really, really do.”

He also addressed lingering rumors from his AEW tenure, including speculation that he was reluctant to lose matches. Rusev has denied that narrative, and AEW President Tony Khan previously stated that the two simply had “different visions of things.”

During the interview, Rusev pointed to one specific AEW match that he believes deserves more recognition — his short but impactful bout with Fuego Del Sol on the first episode of AEW Rampage. Despite being booked as a squash, Rusev says he pushed for more.

“Me and Fuego in AEW. It was a great match because we had two minutes or three minutes and they wanted me to squash them. I said, ‘What is that going to do for anything?’ We already know, people walking down the aisle, everybody knows who’s going to win. But we got them good, man. Because with those two minutes, we got them into such a great spot to think that he was able to win. I think that’s one of the great things that I’ve done, even though it was just two minutes.”

Now back in WWE and believing he’s a better in-ring performer than during his first run, Rusev appears ready for high-profile matchups. A confrontation with Oba Femi on RAW has already teased what could be next, though WWE has yet to confirm Femi’s official brand placement.

Rusev says he wanted more matches, more travel, and more grind — and WWE was the place that could give it to him.