WWE star Rusev has commented on his body transformation over the years and how he got into the shape he is in today. Rusev has been appearing on-screen since his NXT debut in 2013 and looks vastly different now than he did back then. He even looks very different currently than he did in his last run with WWE that ended in 2020.
Appearing on the Identity Crisis podcast hosted by his wife CJ Perry (Lana), Rusev discussed his transformation.
“It’s about trial and error. I’ve been trying for years to get in shape. It’s not that I just decided now before my comeback. In AEW, things were starting to click a little bit. I found a coach, I found a trainer who wrote me a program, who wrote me like an actual diet. Not just, ‘You’ve gotta eat this, this and this,’ but explaining to me the calories, the intake, the output and all that. And from then, you’ve just gotta try and see what works for you. Because what works for me doesn’t mean it’s gonna work for you.”
When CJ Perry pointed out that Rusev is a “God of muscles”, Rusev said he does not necessarily see himself as that.
“You always want to improve certain things. I think that’s what pushes some people to be better than others. I can’t even imagine looking at myself in the mirror like, ‘Oh man, you look freakin’ great bro. Why even go to the gym?’ I’d never even imagine that. It’s always, ‘This little bit, this little bit, maybe a little bit here, maybe a little bit here. Okay, if I do cardio extra for this long, maybe this will help.’ That’s always been the process, it’s never being happy with the final product.”
Rusev, who is part of the Raw brand, is currently in a rivalry with Men\'s Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio. The feud between the two has escalated in recent weeks including a triple threat match at Saturday Night\'s Main Event with Penta that saw Mysterio retain.
