5 WWE Superstars who disappeared without explanation before their release

#3 Rusev disappears from WWE TV following a Tag Team match on RAW, and later released

Rusev's WWE run came to a bitter end in mid-2020, as he was one of several Superstars who were released by the company due to budget issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Rusev kicked off a feud with Bobby Lashley and Lana in late 2019. The angle was bashed by fans from the very beginning, with many fearing that Rusev would come out of it looking like a complete loser.

Rusev never won a World title in WWE

The WWE Universe's fear came to fruition, as the storyline progressed further. Rusev lost most of his matches against Bobby Lashley, and fans were unhappy over WWE destroying Rusev's character for the sake of a storyline that didn't even get a proper closure.

Top WWE star punished? More details HERE

On an episode of RAW in February, Rusev and Humberto Carrillo lost a Tag Team match to Lashley and Angel Garza, following which Rusev disappeared from WWE TV. He would not appear again on WWE TV, and was finally let go by the company in April. Rusev is currently working in All Elite Wrestling, and goes by the moniker of Miro.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Kaushik Das