The WWE Raw after WrestleMania is typically the perfect place for a few surprise returns, and while there actually weren’t too many surprise appearances this time around, there was one from a former AEW star, and then it was revealed another return was also part of the deal. In a segment involving New Day and Alpha Academy, everyone in the ring got a surprise when the lights went out, and when the lights came back on, it was none other than Rusev making his return to WWE. He wasn’t the only return, though, as Lana also returned, though she didn’t appear on TV. You can watch the return in the video above.
Rusev received a nice pop from the crowd and then made his way to the ring, where he knocked down Otis and Tozawa soon after. As he dealt with them, New Day ran out of the ring, though they were talking smack the entire time. As Rusev was looking at the crowd, Tozawa was back on his feet and got up on the top rope, but his plans didn’t end well.
Tozawa waited for his opportunity to leap and then jumped towards Rusev as he turned around from the crowd, but impressively, Rusev caught Tozawa with ease and then heaved him across the ring. Then Otis was up on his feet, but got kicked in the head before he could even rip his shirt off, and Rusev then slammed him to the mat and locked him in The Accolade until an official separated them.
As for Lana (real name CJ Perry), she didn’t appear alongside Rusev on Raw, but in a new report from Deadline, it was made official that she has re-signed with WWE. Both Rusev (real name Miroslav Barnyashev) and CJ’s deals were negotiated by Paradigm, and they have both re-signed with WWE. Rusev has signed a two-year deal with WWE, and Perry has signed a Legends Deal that was completed earlier this month. It’s not known when Perry will return to TV, but she did release a statement.
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“Rusev is back to crush the WWE and become World Champion,” Perry said. “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 previously wrestled for WWE but was released in 2020, and after that he would join AEW later that year. He would go on to have a solid run with AEW that seemed to stall out, as he wasn’t featured on TV for much of the past year. He was released from AEW in February of 2025, and now he’s back in WWE. Perry was released from WWE in 2021, and she would eventually join Rusev in AEW in 2023. She wasn’t there long though, as she left the next year, and now she’s back in WWE as well.
What did you think of Rusev’s return to WWE? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things wrestling with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!
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