Roman Reigns’ Son Couldn’t Recognize WWE Star After Shocking Transformation
Roman Reigns’ son was shocked to see WWE star’s insane physical transformation.
Rusev originally debuted in WWE as a dominant foreign monster. He had a thick, powerful build and weighed roughly 304 pounds, competing barefoot or with minimal foot wraps.
After his run in AEW as Miro, he returned to WWE in April 2025 with a noticeably leaner and more muscular physique. Fans have frequently pointed out how drastically different he looks, noting that he has added dense muscle compared to his early NXT days.
Rusev’s Physical Transformation Left Even Roman Reigns’ Son Surprised
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Rusev was asked about his dramatic physical transformation over the past decade.
Rusev then shared a story involving Roman Reigns, saying that while they were in Saudi Arabia for the Royal Rumble PLE, Reigns told him his son barely recognized him and that The Original Tribal Chief had to clarify that it was indeed The Bulgarian Brute.
CVV: It’s crazy that if we were to look at a photo of you when you debuted in WWE and we look at you now, I think to a new wrestling fan, it’d be difficult to explain that’s the same person.
Rusev: “Yeah, I got this the other day from Roman. We were in Saudi Arabia, and he says, ‘Hey, talking to my kid the other day, and he was like, “Oh, is that Rusev?”‘ So he had to explain that it’s me. We fought all over the world before, and now I’m back. Just look different. But yeah, it’s a bit of a change.”
On this week’s episode of WWE Raw, Rusev made his first Raw appearance in four months. He confronted Oba Femi, who eliminated him from the men’s Royal Rumble match last year.