Lana has confirmed the reason behind Rusev’s absence.
The former US Champion has been off TV since his match with Je’Von Evans during the July 27 Raw. He was recorded exiting the ring quickly after the bout, leading to speculation about the heavyweight star being unhappy with his booking on the show.
During a recent interview with NotSam Wrestling, CJ Perry, formerly known as Lana in WWE, confirmed that her husband suffered an injury during the bout. She addressed the narrative that the former AEW star was not happy with losing to the young star, revealing that Rusev actually went back and finished the match despite his arms going numb after a spot:
He took a couple of seconds outside, and when the ref was like, ‘We’re going to call the match. Your hands are going numb.’ Once he had feeling, he was like, ‘No.’ He rolled in and finished the match. Those rumors are not true when people are like, ‘He doesn’t want to put people over.’ That’s not accurate and not true. He’s always there to do business. He always fights for a good story. That’s how people get over.
He Finished The Match: CJ Perry
Lana mentioned reports that revealed that Rusev was placed in concussion protocol after the bout and explained that he had the option to stop the match. The former champion, however, wanted to do what was right for the business. His quick exit was a result of health concerns and not creative frustrations:
He finished the match. He was in a lot of pain and tried to get out the ring as quick as possible and get back to medical. That’s when the rumors started. I saw the internet reported the true story, and that was encouraging.
It had nothing to do with the loss. He could’ve had WWE stop the match and not lose, but he chose to roll back in the ring and do what’s right for business. He just had to get back to the back as quick as possible because he wasn’t well at the time.
The former WWE star later also confirmed that Rusev was at the Performance Center last week and he has been cleared for action. Though there is no word on when he will return to TV.
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