A former AEW champion resurfaced on WWE TV during “Monday Night Raw.” 

The episodes of “WWE Raw” after “WrestleMania 41” have been known to deliver some surprises and memorable moments. Brock Lesnar’s return to WWE in 2012 is a popular example of how unique “Monday Night Raw” can be in the aftermath of the biggest wrestling show of the year.

That tradition continued on Monday. Rusev has appeared on WWE programming for the first time since 2020. Rusev interrupted what would’ve been a World Tag Team Championship match between The New Day and Alpha Academy.

Rusev attacked Otis and Tozawa before the match could begin. He delivered a big boot to Otis and applied the Accolade submission.

After his first WWE run ended due to being released, Rusev joined AEW, where he was known as Miro. During his time with the company, he had a run with the TNT Championship. While many felt Rusev could be elevated up the card in AEW, his title reign ended up being the peak of his time with the promotion.

In February, Rusev was granted his release from AEW. Around the same time, Ricky Saints and Malakai Black also parted ways with the company. Saints has since become a champion on the “WWE NXT” brand, while Black is reportedly making his WWE return soon.