Rusev’s return to WWE has been marked by a renewed intensity, which he says is fueled by the frustration he felt over the last five years, a period he refers to as “the dead time”.
When asked by Shaq what sticks out to him most about the past five years—a time frame that primarily covers his run in AEW—Rusev was candid about his lack of in-ring action.
“The dead time,” Rusev stated. “You know, in the past five years I had what, 20 matches or 30 matches, whatever that is. Before, I had 30 matches in 30 days… It’s the dead time is what sticks out the most”.
The Frustration of Inactivity
Rusev explained that a wrestler’s career is short, and sitting on the sidelines was difficult. “We only have this body, only have this age… You can’t do this business, you can’t do this job forever, right? So you have to take advantage of while you’re young,” he said. “And that’s why sitting on the sides for so long… it’s what stuck out the most”.
He said this experience “absolutely” empowers his current energetic run. He even told Jey Uso during a match in Japan why he was wrestling so aggressively. “I had to tell him, ‘Hey, I’m going so hard because I’ve had a period of time when you have one match and you don’t know when the next match is coming.’ And that’s a very scary situation”.
However, Rusev admitted there was a significant silver lining to his time off. “I’m always taking care of my family, built a house in Bulgaria, my dream home in Bulgaria,” he shared. “I was able to rest my body, spend a lot of time at home with my wife… I saw my parents… I moved away when I was 20 years old, I’ve barely seen my parents. So being able to spend time with them… You can take it both ways, but overall I would like to remember the good parts”.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Shaq with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can find the full interview on Shaq’s YouTube channel.
