Every Version Of Miro/Rusev, Ranked From Worst To Best

Miro is currently signed to AEW, and he is certainly one of the biggest assets of the company. Although he is yet to get the main event spot after signing for AEW in 2020, it is just a matter of time till he reaches the top of the ladder there, given his talent and proficiency in the ring.

RELATED: 10 Ways The WWE Failed Rusev

Before being known as Miro in AEW, the Bulgarian wrestler was most famously known as Rusev in WWE, where he enjoyed a steady run of 10 years, with six years on the main roster. Rusev became a three-time United States Champion in WWE. Across two elite professional wrestling companies, Rusev/Miro has undergone various transformations throughout his career.

8 Alexander Rusev In FCW/NXT

Rusev began his WWE career in the developmental brand like most current generation stars. WWE assigned him to FCW in 2010 when he was known as Alexander Rusev. Right after making his debut, he, unfortunately, suffered an injury. With more injuries, his FCW run was forgettable until it was rebranded as NXT.

Drastically, he enjoyed an injury-free decent run till the main roster debut. While being in NXT, he pinned several main roster wrestlers, and he also recruited Lana as his manager.

7 Lana's Ex-Husband

Although Lana and Rusev were married in real-life, WWE decided to have their kayfabe break up on WWE TV, which led to a bizarre storyline in 2019. Lana started an affair with Bobby Lashley, and the on-screen relationship of Rusev and Lana reached a boiling point.

Needless to say, it was one of the worst versions of Rusev, as his character didn't have any proper direction in this storyline. Calling Rusev a sex addict, Lana divorced him on an episode of RAW. Rusev lost most of his matches after becoming the ex-husband of Lana, including against Lashley. Eventually, Rusev got released from WWE as part of the budget cuts last year.

6 The League Of Nations Member

Rusev's downfall from the top commenced after becoming part of the League of Nations in the later stage of 2015. By interfering in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between Sheamus and Roman Reigns at the 2015 Survivor Series, Rusev officially joined the League of Nations. All four wrestlers of the stable- Rusev, Sheamus, Wade Barrett, and Alberto Del Rio- were non-Americans, which was the primary reason they called themselves the League of Nations.

While Rusev's alliance with the stable lasted just six months, it did huge damage to Rusev's singles career. Contrasting to 2015, Rusev failed to last more than two minutes in the 2016 Royal Rumble. He also challenged the WWE Tag Team Champions but wasn't successful to win the gold.

5 Tag Team Partnership With Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev started a feud for the United States Championship and the two men locked horns at Crown Jewel 2019, where the latter failed to win the belt. However, Rusev captured the title later for the third time on SmackDown. Surprisingly, the rivals formed an unusual tag team on the blue brand that lasted a few months.

Their brief run as a tag team was disappointing, even though both were exceptional performers. The duo wrestled The New Day at Fastlane but failed to capture the titles. They also challenged for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 35, where they fell short.

4 Rusev Day

Rusev's memorable WWE run happened in 2017 when his catchphrase "Rusev Day" got over, owing to his social media where it all started. The fans didn't hesitate to chant Rusev Day, although he was a heel at that time. Rusev declared that every day was Rusev Day. Consequently, his Rusev Day merchandise also became popular.

With the Rusev Day version of Rusev, he had a significant run in 2017 as well as 2018. Arriving on the blue brand, the team of Rusev and Aiden English was in the SmackDown Tag Team Title picture. Moreover, he had an amazing rivalry with Randy Orton, and he faced The Undertaker at The Greatest Royal Rumble in a casket match.

3 The Bulgarian Brute

While Rusev was billed from Russia at the beginning of his main roster career, WWE changed it afterward, giving him The Bulgarian Brute character, as he was originally from Bulgaria, not Russia. Instead of the Russian flag, he started carrying the Bulgarian flag with him.

When Rusev was called The Bulgarian Brute, there was dissent between Lana and Rusev, resulting in the latter to start a romance with Dolph Ziggler. Rusev, on the other hand, set his eyes on Summer Rae to replace Lana. The Bulgarian Brute provided some awe-inspiring feuds, most notably with John Cena.

2 Miro In AEW

After parting ways with WWE, there was speculation that Rusev might join AEW, and he did just that in September of last year. Inspired by his real name Miroslav, he adopted the new ring-name, Miro.

Miro is enjoying a great run since signing for AEW. He has teamed up with Penelope Ford and Kip Sabian to be the best man. Even though he isn't in the main event or title picture yet, he can still ascend to that spot in the future.

1 The Anti-American Rusev From Russia

WWE had many anti-American bad guys over the years, including Rusev at the beginning of his main roster career. Accompanied by Lana, Rusev would carry a Russian flag and he would criticize America.

It was arguably the best version of Rusev in his entire professional wrestling career. He was indomitable, which was a reason he maintained an undefeated streak for over a year. Rusev captured his first-ever United States Championship with this gimmick, and his title reign lasted 146 days.

NEXT:10 Best Matches Of Rusev's Career, Ranked