We have new details on the contract statuses of Rusev and Lana.
For weeks, wrestling fans have anticipated the WWE return of Rusev, a three-time United States Champion. On WWE Raw, that anticipation turned into excitement when “The Bulgarian Brute” resurfaced by laying out Alpha Academy’s Otis and Akira Tozawa in the ring.
According to Deadline, Rusev (real name Miroslav “Miro” Barnyashev) has agreed to a two-year contract with WWE after negotiations by Paradigm, his agent. Similarly, his wife and manager, Lana (real name CJ Perry), marks her return by signing a WWE Legends deal, also negotiated by Paradigm, earlier this month.
“Rusev is back to crush the WWE and become World Champion,” Perry told Deadline. “We have been cooking this up from our Bulgarian kitchen since the day we left, and with the help of Paradigm, we were able to make this a reality! Machka Crush.”
Rusev initially left WWE in 2020 as a part of company budget cuts. Perry followed suit the next year. In the years following, Rusev worked for All Elite Wrestling, where he enjoyed one reign as TNT Champion. Perry briefly joined the same company beginning in late 2023, reprising her role as an on-screen manager before departing in the summer of 2024. Rusev’s respective AEW run came to an end in February 2025 when the company announced his departure.
In his WWE return, Rusev appeared alone, without Perry. Given their history, though, it is possible that she could return to television as his manager once again.
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