Alexander Rusev is a pseudonym under which the wrestler and former powerlifter Miroslav Barnyashev acts. He also appeared in the ring under the nickname Mad Bulgarian and with the name Miroslav Makarov.
The athlete was born on December 25, 1985 in Plovdiv. His height is 180 cm, and his weight is 139 kg. The first performance of Miroslav took place in 2008. And the athlete's coaches were Rikishi, Tom Pritchard, Billy Kidman and Gangrel.
The American dream
Alexander Rusev is a wrestler who was born in the second largest city in Bulgaria. At a local children's sports school, he attended kayaking and powerlifting sections. But in the domestic sport, no prospects emerged. At the age of 20, the guy exchanged his native country for the USA.
Stately Miroslav immediately interested the staff of the wrestling academy in California. And then it became clear that he was destined for the role of a hero. To make it easier for the public to perceive the athlete, he began to speak under pseudonyms. The first were Miroslav and Makarov.
Soon, WWE managers noticed the wrestler, and in the fall of 2010, the Bulgarian signed a work contract with them. It was then that his promotion began under the name Alexander Rusev.
Wrestler debut
By signing a contract with the world's largest organizer of wrestling matches, Alexander Rusev became an active participant in the FCW venue. His television debut took place on July 17, in this battle he defeated Mike Dalton. Shortly after this triumphant event, the wrestler was seriously injured and could not perform for 2 years. Returning to the ring in 2012, Alexander broke his neck, and his arm was paralyzed. So there was only a long way of recovery without sporting achievements.
NXT Performances
Alexander Rusev, whose biography has repeatedly turned away the athlete from wrestling, returned to television in 2013 in the image of the Bulgarian Brut. Unfortunately, luck did not smile at Alexander and he could not get the title of absolute champion of the NXT. The Bulgarian wrestler was defeated by Dolph Ziggler.
After this incident, Alexander joined forces with Scott Dawson. The role of the manager was performed by Sylvester Lefort. This was followed by a series of victories for their successful sports tandem. And on March 13, 2014, the Bulgarian wrestler was able to debut in the main composition of the NXT.
Indestructible Russian
On April 7th, Alexander became a member of the WWE core squad and destroyed Zack Ryder in his first battle. Already in May, the Bulgarian began to be perceived as a Russian who zealously hates the United States. This image was given to the wrestler by officials.
Then began a series of competitions of Alexander Rusev with American superstars of this sport. Lana is the manager of an indestructible champion, and then a girl, all the while adding fuel to the fire with her promos.
In a confrontation with Rock, Alexander Rusev was defeated, but this did not prevent him from winning further. By November, he already had the status of champion of America.
Return to the ring and new confrontations indomitable wrestler
After Payback, Alexander Rusev appeared before the audience in the image of the Bulgarian Brutus. Wrestler could not hide the sadness from the fact that Lana went over to the side of Dolph Ziggler. Immediately after their quarrel, the powerlifter was injured, which put him on a hospital chair for almost 2 months.
Then followed a series of victories in matches with Kevin Owens, John Cina, Dolph Ziggler. At the last RAW, Alexander again quarreled with Lana and was injured by Dolph.
A little later, Ziggler announced before everyone the future match against Alexander Rusev, held at SummerSlam. But he brought both wrestlers only a draw, as their forces were equal.
Titles and achievements of Alexander Rusev
- America's WWE Title.
- 2014 progress according to WON.
- PWI 2014 Progress.
- Award for contribution to the development of Russian wrestling 2014.