Former WWE star Miroslav Barnyashev (Rusev) was a recent guest on the The Ryback Show to talk all things pro-wrestling, including a time that he yelled at a WWE writer in the midst of his Rusev Day popularity. Highlights are below.
Says WWE was mad at him for appearing on Total Divas:
“Even the office admitted that they should have not let me go on Total Divas. It’s been said and documented. They think that exposed me but I think that showed my personality. That’s not exposing. That’s showing who I am. Why can’t I do that? Why can’t I show my personality backstage? Why can’t I go in the ring and do what I do? They told me don’t look at the people. Don’t smile. Don’t do this and don’t do that. I’m like, really because everything I’m doing, the people seem to like it. Why am I getting over and you are telling me to do the opposite?”
On the time he yelled at a WWE writer and what Vince told him backstage:
“They started putting my segments early so the Rusev chants can go away. There was a period where I wasn’t even supposed to be at WrestleMania, the one that I lost to Jinder, at the height of my career of Rusev Day. I was not on TV for three weeks. At this point, I am sitting backstage listening to the people all day chant Rusev Day. At this point, I went to see one of the writers and said this is not right. This is the first time I yelled at a writer, which I feel really bad. He said, ‘we don’t know what to do.’ I said, ‘what do you mean you don’t know what to do? Just listen. Stay here and listen. They will tell you what to do.’ I’m busting my ass to get to the top level and finally, I’m getting close. Then they shove me down and I don’t understand why. What am I fighting for? In NXT, you fight to get to the main roster because you are going to make more money. You are going to have a better life for yourself. In WWE, I did everything. I started getting into acting classes. I started working on my body. I started with all the extra stuff because I said, ‘I’m not going to have nothing they can say, well this guy is not this or that.’ I’m going to cover this 100%. I was just defeated. I’m thinking, what am I doing here? I give it a one go, then a second go. I said, ‘Vince, we have sold out all of our merchandise. We are beating Roman. We are beating AJ. We are beating everybody.’ He said, ‘what do you mean?’ I said, ‘the shirt is sold out, the merch is sold out’ and he said, ‘well maybe they didn’t make enough.’ I’m like, ‘they didn’t make enough shirts? That’s why my shirt is sold out? Not because we are doing good? Really? You’re going to give me that excuse?’ They didn’t know if I should be a good guy or a bad guy. They couldn’t make up their minds.”
Full interview can be found here. (H/T and transcribed by Wrestling News)