The RAW after WrestleMania is always good for some surprises, and a huge one came just an hour into the show. The New Day made their way to the ring to gloat about becoming new World Tag Team Champions at WrestleMania and were soon interrupted by Alpha Academy's Otis and Akira Tozawa.
Their manager, Maxine Dupri, wasted no time in reminding Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods that Otis and Tozawa defeated them in just a minute not all that long ago, leading to The New Day agreeing to put their titles on the line against the babyface duo.
However, before the match could begin, the lights went out, and Rusev made his long-awaited WWE return!
Coming out to new music, Rusev entered the ring and sent The New Day running. He then laid waste to both Otis and Tozawa, locking the former in the Accolode, the move he used to dominate WWE when he first arrived on the main roster as an undefeated force to be reckoned with.
The Bulgarian Brute left WWE in 2020 when he was released by the company. The three-time United States Champion wasn't happy with how Vince McMahon booked both him and his wife Lana, and he later joined the AEW roster as Miro.
Wrestling fans had high hopes for him in the company, but Tony Khan largely wasted the one-time AEW TNT Champion, and he spent most of his run at home. He finally parted ways with the company this past February, and the expectation ever since has been that he'd return to WWE.
"People ask me why I’m not bitter," Rusev said following his release. "WWE gave me a platform. I have the best fan base in the world. And that is where I met my wife. I love her to death. If nothing else came of it, I met my wife. So I can’t be bitter. There is no point to that."
Whether Lana will join Rusev in WWE isn't clear, though they recently reconciled after ending their marriage. Vince McMahon did a huge amount of damage to Lana by making her a wrestler, so it could be that Rusev will fare better if he's left to his own devices for what looks to be a fun new heel run.
Check out some highlights from Rusev's WWE return in the X post below.