WWE News: Recently Released Superstar Says He’s ‘Done’ With Professional Wrestling
Amid speculation that he might soon join a rival promotion such as All Elite Wrestling or New Japan Pro-Wrestling, it looks like former WWE superstar Rusev — who now goes by the name Miro — does not have any current plans of returning to the squared circle.
As quoted by Fightful on Wednesday, Miro commented on his future as a professional wrestler during a Twitch stream that same day, where he was asked by a fan whether he has any plans of returning to his former employer or competing for other promotions.
“I’m done. I’m done, man. I’m just enjoying my Twitch. I’m a professional Twitcher, YouTuber, content creator,” said the former United States Champion.
Later in his stream’s Q&A session, Miro offered this response to someone who remarked that he’s their favorite wrestler.
“I’m not a wrestler anymore. Can I be your favorite streamer?”
Responding to a viewer who asked whether he had spoken to WWE chairman Vince McMahon since leaving the company in mid-April, Miro said that he had previously texted his former boss and that the two men had a “nice conversation.” He noted, however, that they haven’t actually spoken in person from the time he was let go. As speculated by WrestlingNews.co, this could have something to do with the rumors that the promotion had reached out to some of the wrestlers it released, only to offer them less money than what they were previously making.
Along with dozens of other main roster and NXT superstars, Rusev was released on April 15 due to budget concerns linked to the coronavirus pandemic. He has spent his time away from the ring focusing on his love of video games as a Twitch streamer and, as noted by Fightful, has since started a partnership with the platform. This has set him apart from many of the other wrestlers who were cut three months ago, who have signed with rival companies and continued their in-ring career upon the expiry of their 90-day noncompete clauses earlier this month.
Although it appears that Miro is happy to focus on his new life as a professional video game streamer, he has continued to draw interest as a free agent in the wrestling scene. Earlier this week, AEW co-executive Vice President Cody Rhodes said that he is interested in signing both Miro and Matt Cardona (formerly Zack Ryder in WWE), the latter of whom made his debut for the upstart company on Wednesday night’s episode of Dynamite, according to Sporting News.
