Rusev Discusses WWE Return and Rusev Day Popularity – During a new interview on Insight, Rusev spoke with Chris Van Vliet about his return to WWE, the rise of Rusev Day, and key moments from his career.
He reflected on how the Rusev Day movement caught on with fans and grew beyond its original idea.
“I don’t know. It was never meant to be over. It was never supposed to be anything. It was just supposed to be a celebration and here’s the key from the mayor of Plovdiv, my hometown. And it just worked for some reason, I was a heel, but then I started to relax a little bit, show more of my personality and I guess people started buying that. Then Aiden [English], of course, Aiden is such an essential part of this, with the songs, with introductions, with everything. Without him, probably wouldn’t even be the same. But just the combo work, man, it was just me having fun and doing the backstage with the New Day, and then the first shirt. Oh my God. They did one shirt of Happy Rusev Day, which is the first one. I remember putting it out in a backstage promo and there’s the huge reaction from the crowd. What? It’s just a shirt. It’s not that big of a deal. But then it just starts picking up steam and people love chanting Rusev Day and celebrating Rusev Day. I got that sweet treatment. I have a beach towel, I have sunglasses now that says Rusev Day. I have all these things that say Rusev Day. I was like, what is happening here? I couldn’t believe it. And then, yeah, we’re just getting over little by little. It was a good time, even to this day, Hey, happy Rusev Day.”
He was also asked whether there were internal plans to fully turn him into a babyface.
“I don’t know if there was any direction for it necessarily. I remember I’ve been off TV, and I’ve never been off TV. I remember being off TV for a couple of weeks, and I was like, What is going on? Why are we off TV? Before the shows, these people are chanting Rusev Day, and it’s not like, oh, let me get my sht in. I thought it was good for the show. If these people were chanting something, we should give them what they want. That’s why I started fighting for it, hey, let’s do something. Then it was getting a little more traction. But I became a United States Champion.”*
Looking back, he admitted the storyline could have reached a higher level.
“A lot of things could be. I went over there, I talked to the boss, and I laid my cards in front of him. Everything I can, I did, but what comes after that is not up to me.”
Rusev also explained why he chose to return to WWE in 2025, pointing to the depth of the roster and his desire to wrestle consistently.
“I wanted to wrestle. I wanted to mix it up with the best. I know that the roster is stacked. I don’t remember the last time it was this stacked, but I just want to mix it with everybody. I wanted to wrestle more and more, and all these European tours and everything. I love all that, I love the grind. Because when we first started, we were five days on the road, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, you go home Wednesday, you’re out on the road again on Friday. And that’s just how life was, as hard as it was, that’s how you get better, just by putting in the work. Because every day you work different towns, you travel. Now the people can only hear about that and be like, Oh, really, that’s what it was. It was so cool. Wrestling, getting beaten up, getting the rental car driving three hours to the next town, getting the hotel, waking up, working out, doing the same thing, makes you feel like a real professional wrestler. I miss the grind.”
He also discussed the formation of the League of Nations with Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, and Wade Barrett, noting the group’s role in storylines involving Roman Reigns and a memorable moment at WrestleMania.
“I think they needed somebody for Roman, to be honest. I think that’s how they came up with it. It was not like, oh, we have this great idea for these four guys. I think they needed somebody for Roman to be a babyface, and that’s why they put us together, which was fun. We got a WrestleMania match. I got to eat the stunner from Steve Austin, which was another dream come true.”
As noted, WWE teased a potential Oba Femi–Rusev rivalry during the February 16 episode of RAW. The moment came when the two powerhouses crossed paths backstage and locked eyes in a long, tense staredown. Neither man said a word, but the silence did more than enough to spark speculation.
The confrontation lasted several seconds, with both refusing to look away. It was the kind of moment WWE uses when planting the first seed of a future feud, and the crowd reaction made it clear fans picked up on it immediately.
Nothing was announced on the show, but the visual alone hinted that a clash between Oba Femi and Rusev may be on the horizon — and if WWE follows through, it could become one of RAW’s most physical rivalries.
Rusev Discusses WWE Return and Rusev Day Popularity
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