It\u2019s interesting that when news broke that the former AEW wrestler Miro might have resigned with WWE, it happened to coincide with Rusev Day. What are the odds? We can speculate on when Miro could re-debut. My guess is it will be on Rusev Day. No word yet on if his wife, CJ Perry, aka Lana, will be joining him. However, they did recently renew their vows on- have you guessed it?- Rusev Day!<\/p>\n
Are you sick of that joke? It\u2019s one that in many ways encapsulates various dimensions of Miro\u2019s pro wrestling career. It reveals a lot about some fans\u2019 historiography of the former Alexander Rusev. Rusev Day ended long before Miro\u2019s April 15th<\/sup>, 2020, release. Yet both the joke and the hope of a Rusev push seemed dead by then.<\/p>\n It\u2019s remembered and celebrated because it demonstrated a fundamental issue with WWE creative of the past. Another instance of a WWE wrestler getting themselves over organically, only for creative to spoil it. Another example of Vince McMahon, who dismissed fans\u2019 engagement as a rib on Miro, deciding he knew better.<\/p>\n Miro was another victim of a systematic issue of McMahonism. McMahon was the sole issue. Many believed that if you replaced McMahon, the problem would go away.<\/p>\n Regardless, there are two big problems with this assumption. First, oversimplification. It ignores other existing or subsequent factors once the \u201cbarrier\u201d is removed. Second, it asserts that the wrestler has little to no agency in their creative endeavors, which was accurate at the time. Options were limited.<\/p>\n However, AEW arrived, and things changed.<\/p>\n Wrestlers and fans were attracted to AEW because it seemed like a promised land, offering something different. Creative freedom. The pendulum of public perception favoured AEW. Yet pendulums don\u2019t stay still. When McMahon left, AEW struggled with an identity crisis<\/a>.<\/p>\n The pendulum swung back. This binary mindset and oversimplified approach to problem-solving. Similar to McMahon, some fans continue to call for the removal of Tony Khan to address AEW\u2019s problems. Now, WWE creative can\u2019t do wrong. This optimism and pessimism are persistent in jokes about each company. Crowds at NXT shows chanting \u201cTony fumbled\u201d reflect an assumption that AEW can\u2019t book anyone right.<\/p>\n The default in this humour is WWE makes you more than a star. I saw a joking comment suggesting that WWE is so magical and restorative because it helped fix Miro and Perry\u2019s marriage. It\u2019s a joke, but one that carries high and potentially unrealistic expectations.<\/p>\n Realistically, if Miro joins AEW, will he receive the \u201cpush\u201d some think he deserves?<\/p>\n The reality of war shows former AEW wrestlers are generally finding success<\/a> in WWE. Yet that success isn\u2019t universal. Championship success is skewed towards NXT, and many former AEW wrestlers retain the same gimmicks and character presentations from their time in AEW<\/a>. Obviously, Cody Rhodes and CM Punk are exceptions, not the norm.<\/p>\n A fairer comparison for Miro would be his last AEW opponent, Andrade. Andrade returned during the 2024 Royal Rumble. Andrade\u2019s most notable accomplishments are holding the Speed Championship and feuding with Carmelo Hayes. Reading social media, Andrade isn\u2019t satisfied with his infrequent bookings and lack of meaningful creative work.<\/p>\n The notion that a former Triple H NXT guy equals success is flawed, for each Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins is a Ricochet and Shinsuke Nakamura. Plenty like DIY and Catch Republic fill roles or become pillars of the tag division. Plenty don\u2019t main event, and some don\u2019t get consistent or significant storylines.<\/p>\n Some returns fail, but with time, they rebound, like Karrion Kross. Like those who join AEW, a transition period helps. Miro has always been an exceptional talent, so what happens if WWE\u2019s magic touch makes Miro (again) another cog in the machine?<\/p>\n The notion that Miro\u2019s AEW run underwhelmed or was booked poorly feels like a whitewash. If anything, Miro\u2019s best run, better than his WWE US Championship reign, was in AEW. After a lacklustre start as the vague \u201cBest Man\u201d to Kip Sabian, Miro redefined the monster archetype.<\/p>\n As God\u2019s favourite champion, Miro\u2019s cerebral and poetic verbiage made him a Kingpin-level supervillain. Miro\u2019s in-ring storytelling, often centred around his weakened neck, was more than a cheat code for a babyface pop. It brought contrast and dimensions to a wrestler best known for playing a stereotypical foreign baddy.<\/p>\n For 140 days, Miro\u2019s TNT Championship reign delivered more than was promised. It showed us Miro\u2019s capabilities and main event potential. But that didn\u2019t happen. Wider issues impacting the creative and backstage environment, as well as allegations of Miro\u2019s own choices, halted progress.<\/p>\n Miro joined AEW when the pendulum made AEW the place to be and remained there when the pendulum shifted back again. The problem with positivity is that it sometimes blinds us to other factors. Aspects of war reality, such as transition, AEW\u2019s style,\u00a0and various other external and internal factors<\/a>.<\/p>\n Miro wasn\u2019t buried, nor booked as the butt of a joke. Miro\u2019s wife was not booked to cheat on him. In fact, Miro barely lost, took a pin, or submitted after losing the TNT Championship. After reaching the finals of the 2021 Eliminator Tournament, Miro would fight and claim three out of four victories on PPV. After Forbidden Door, Miro went undefeated until he left.<\/p>\n Miro was kept strong with frequent promo videos, even threatening God! The problem was holding pattern booking. The words were empty and unsubstantiated. Matches were repetitive. Miro became boring due to its lack of storyline, character growth, and no reason to invest emotionally.<\/p>\n AEW deserves its share of criticism. However, rumours suggested Miro turned down creative pitches. Further rumours circulated repeatedly, both during and after Miro left, of former WWE wrestlers refusing to lose to wrestlers who hadn\u2019t been in WWE. MJF alluded to this in his piece on The Players Tribune.<\/p>\n The Redeemer won 89% of his AEW matches. Each loss was booked to protect Miro: referee stoppage, the tag partner was pinned, the neck of sand as kryptonite. Five losses, but unfulfilled potential. We never got the main event push. Yet even boring, Miro\u2019s character remained consistent and strong compared to his collective Rusev runs in WWE.<\/p>\n If the rumours hold some truth, then the wrestlers also share the responsibility. The number of former WWE wrestlers who have transitioned to AEW and found success, or in many cases, even greater success, is numerous.<\/p>\n If Miro does rejoin WWE, his booking and treatment will impact the momentum of the pendulum. If Miro, like Andrade, and other returnees languish in the midcard, failing to meet expectations and becoming a waste of potential will create an obvious, undeniable pattern. Trust in the process will change again.<\/p>\n Already, fans are wondering if Andrade will be the first to return to AEW. It\u2019s made some think the grass isn\u2019t always greener on the other side. If Rusev Day becomes just another Groundhog Day, the effects will be more than just a reevaluation of Miro\u2019s AEW run. Looking beyond tribalism, we should be able to see that various factors impact wrestlers\u2019 careers, alongside good booking.<\/p>\n More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Header photo \u2013 AEW \u2013 Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/span>Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/a>\u00a0for more on Jon Moxley, Swerve Strickland, AEW Dynasty, and other stories from around the world of\u00a0<\/span>wrestling,<\/span>\u00a0as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world.\u00a0<\/span>As<\/span>\u00a0well<\/span>\u00a0as<\/span>\u00a0to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/span>\u00a0 You can catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at\u00a0<\/span>8 PM<\/span>\u00a0ET on TBS. AEW Collision airs Saturday at\u00a0<\/span>8pm<\/span>\u00a0Eastern on TNT. More AEW content\u00a0<\/span>available<\/span>\u00a0on\u00a0<\/span>their<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>YouTube<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s interesting that when news broke that the former AEW wrestler Miro might have resigned with WWE, it happened to coincide with Rusev Day. What are the odds? We can speculate on when Miro could re-debut. My guess is it will be on Rusev Day. No word yet on if his wife, CJ Perry, aka […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4960,"featured_media":133318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4677,2192,4,3],"tags":[4658,8113,604,6638,202,2352],"class_list":["post-133290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aew","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-andrade","tag-cj-perry","tag-lana","tag-miro","tag-rusev","tag-rusev-day"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4960"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133290"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133320,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133290\/revisions\/133320"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Pendulum<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Expectations and Reality<\/strong><\/h2>\n
God\u2019s Favourite Champion<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Rumours, Patterns and Responsibility<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Moving The Pendulum <\/strong><\/h2>\n