Biography

Miroslav Barnyashev (Bulgarian: Мирослав Барняшев, [miroˈslɑf bɑrˈnjɑʃɛf]) is a Bulgarian professional wrestler who holds both Bulgarian and American citizenship. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Miro and is a one-time AEW TNT Champion. He is also known for his decade-long career in WWE under the ring name Rusev, where he became the first and so far only Bulgarian wrestler to have worked for WWE. In 2010, Barnyashev signed a contract with WWE and was assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), which was rebranded as NXT in 2012 (WWE's developmental territories). He performed on NXT until 2014, when he and his manager Lana were called to WWE's main roster. He is a three-time WWE United States Champion. He was released by WWE in April 2020, debuting in AEW as Miro in September of that year.