There was a time when Rusev was pushed as one of WWE's top mid-card Superstars. Unfortunately, Vince McMahon never pulled the trigger on the Bulgarian Brute as a main eventer and he eventually wound up in some pretty terrible angles.
When Rusev made the leap to AEW, there was a huge amount of excitement among pro wrestling fans. Surely he'd now be treated as the top star they knew he had the potential to be?
Not exactly. Like many of Tony Khan's high-profile acquisitions, Miro was lost in the shuffle and clearly hasn't been happy with how AEW has treated him. Now, it appears the former WWE United States Champion wants out.
According to Fightful Select, Miro has requested his release from AEW. "The Redeemer" hasn't stepped into the ring for the company since the Worlds End PPV in 2023 (he was injured for a time but is believed to have been cleared for several months now).
The site adds that AEW considered using Miro in the All In Casino Gauntlet, while there was also a pitch for him to be involved in an angle with Jon Moxley. Unfortunately, it seems neither side could reach an agreement with how he should be used. Creative differences have plagued his time in AEW.
Miro is said to be signed to a seven-figure deal (Khan arguably has more money than sense) which doesn't expire until Spring 2026, but at this point, he's just being paid to sit at home so AEW might as well let him go.
Will he return to WWE? We'd imagine Triple H will be interested, though the AEW star is unlikely to move the needle too much so it could be that this is the beginning of the end for him in mainstream professional wrestling...especially if he's making wild financial and creative demands!
Back in April, fans were surprised to hear Miro praise Khan's management style.
"Tony’s great, man. He’s creative, his mind is running always, he always thinks about wrestling, he’s always thinking about how to get things better. So I respect that," he said. "I respect that he loves wrestling – he did all his life. And now he’s carried that to the second or one of the biggest companies in the world."
Miro also commented on his injury status when he said, "I have a shoulder injury and an elbow injury that occurred late last year, so finally took care of it late January. Got a whole bunch of shots and now I’m recovering, rehabbing, and come back stronger than ever."
Stay tuned for updates as we have them.