The character of Rusev was almost introduced to theWWEUniverse far differently than how he debuted. Miroslav Petrov Barnyashev is best known for playing the role of “The Bulgarian Brute,” Rusev, on WWE television. More recently, he was simply Miro, “The Redeemer,” on All Elite Wrestling.PWInsiderwere able to confirm that, as of February 2025, he’s officially a free agent, allowing him to sign with another wrestling company.
As fans speculate about Barnyashev potentially resurfacing in a WWE ring as Rusev, it’s worth remembering that when he first debuted for the company onscreen,Rusev was almost a genie character. This was something that Barnyashev alludes to in anInstagrampost, and expands upon in a story told on the “Rusev & Lana” episode of Chris Jericho’sTalk is Jerichopodcast released in 2017.
Barnyashev’s WWE surely would have been very different had he agreed to a genie gimmick, but one has to wonder how likely it would be for this genie character to return under the Rusev namesake.
Dusty Rhodes Pitched Rusev A Genie Gimmick in WWE & Made Him Do Promos For 3 Weeks
How Close Was Rusev to Becoming the Bulgarian Genie of WWE?
As he explains as a guest onTalk is Jericho, the then-WWE Superstar is asked aboutDusty Rhodes' contributions to his career. Before his untimely passing in 2015, “The American Dream” had long been retired, and Virgil Riley Runnels Jr found a new life working backstage in WWE’s developmental territory, FCW (now NXT), helping incoming rookies improve their craft as both a booker and producer. When asked if there were any bad pieces of advice given to him around the 39:15-minute mark of the audio podcast, Barnyashev had this to say:
He tried to make me a genie … I remember, I came home to Bulgaria, first time in a long time, and I was like, ‘man,’ I’m just gonna go out there [in a completely new direction] because I used to wear a singlet … I started throwing my hands up like Tong Po in my favorite movie, Kickboxer … I took pretty much his whole stuff and applied it to me. And I came back, put on this fancy gear - not fancy, like shorts with the little thing. And Dream thought that I looked like a genie, so he made me do genie promos for the next three weeks. He had the lamp and this kickboxing chick that we had at the time in FCW, she rubbed the lamp, and I appeared.
It took one of the coaches down in developmental, Bill DeMott (better known to WCW fans as Hugh Morrus) to approach Barnyashev and ask, “What are you doing?” Barnyashev’s response was, “I’m just following direction.“John Cena’s future WrestleMania opponentis then told he needs to respectfully tell Runnels that he doesn’t want to commit to this gimmick, to which he did. As an alternative, Runnels' next idea was for him to act like Arnold Schwarzenegger, by essentially having broken English and looking intimidating. Combining that direction with Barnyashev’s Bulgarian backgroundpaved the way for formulating Rusev.
Rusev May Be Heading Back To WWE
Is the Genie Gimmick Worth Resurrecting for Rusev’s WWE Return?
With Barnyashev having mutually parted ways with AEW, that leaves his schedule wide open for a WWE return. As Rusev, he achieved a vast amount of success, including three reigns as United States Champion, an undefeated streak, and an immensely popular Rusev Day gimmick. Between Rusev Day and the Bulgarian Brute gimmick alone, it’s safe to assumehe won’t be testing the waters on the untested genie gimmick. It can’t be understated that one bad idea from Runnels does not put into question the genius that the legendary Dusty Rhodes consistently brought to the table.
WWE Reportedly Turned Down The Rock’s Pitch To Turn Cody Rhodes Heel Before John Cena
Despite WWE’s Elimination Chamber changing wrestling history, turning John Cena heel reportedly wasn’t The Rock’s original plan.
As Dusty Rhodes, Runnels was one of the best wrestlers tonever win the WWE Championship, and like that circumstance, itdoesn’t take away his legendary status. He was just as much of a great booker as he was a great wrestler, hence why the classic “Dusty Finish” booking trope was named after him. That being said, not every idea is a home run, and Rusev the Genie was a miss. Had Rusev been called up to the main roster with a sillier genie gimmick as opposed to the brutish Russian invader, he likely would’ve had a harder time achieving success inWWE.
