Since returning to AEW this summer, former TNT Champion Miro has only competed in four matches. It's infuriating on the one hand, but not surprising on the other; Tony Khan has put together a stacked roster, and now he's pushing Ring of Honor talent as well, there's simply not enough time for everyone to get TV time.
That says a lot about Khan's inexperience as a booker, and points to wider issues within AEW that have seen the company's programming drastically decline in quality in recent months.
During a recent interview, Miro's wife CJ Perry (better known as Lana in WWE) expressed her own frustrations with how her other half has been used. "I think there's this illusion at AEW that the talent book the show - that was definitely the conversation," she says. "Like, 'Oh, you go there, you're going to basically become whatever you're made of.'"
"But at the end of the day, he's booking the show...Tony Khan, he has his favorites, and he's going to push the favorites just like Vince would push his favorites, just like Hunter's going to push his people."
"I feel Vince really valued him in that way and saw that," Perry said of Miro's time in WWE as Rusev. "They hit heads a lot of times towards the end on creative differences; Vince really wanted him as a villain, and Miro really wanted to explore this new world."
There's a lot here that makes sense, and with Triple H in charge, it feels like a lot of former WWE Superstars who were driven off by Vince McMahon would be better off returning. Unfortunately, they signed lengthy contracts with AEW, and will now be stuck there for the foreseeable future.
On social media, Perry continues to promote her website with some head-turning videos and photos you can see a sampling of below.