Professional wrestling is not an easy job. The physical as well as mental pressure eats one up, especially if you are trying to make a name for yourself in a foreign country. Rusev, aka, Miro knows it the best. The ‘Bulgarian Brute’ came to America at the young age of 18 to fulfill his wrestling dream. But it was never easy.

In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Miro opened up about his struggles as an immigrant.

Miro talks about his initial struggles in America

Miroslav Barnyashev decided that he will go to America and become a professional wrestler after watching Hulk Hogan on TV. Eventually, at the age of 18, he got into a University, applied for Visa, and set foot into the Land of Dreams. However, his dreams were far from being fulfilled.

“I took the first job I was offered, which was painting houses in the summer in 100-degree heat in Virginia,” Miro said. “I lived in a house with 15 guys. I’d never painted anything but an egg before that, and I was fired that first month and kicked out of the house.” 

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Thankfully, the jobless and penniless aspiring wrestlers found solace in some acquaintances. He moved in with some of his painter friends and started working odd jobs to make a living.

Miro wanted to go back to Bulgaria but did not give up. He enrolled in WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi’s training academy after training with Ric Drasin.

“I had six months with Ric Drasin, and I soaked up every lesson,” Barnyashev said. “He gave me lessons in bumping and in-ring. Then Rikishi opened a school, and I was one of the first students. That was my chance to compete. I gave 100%. If someone was faster, I gave 120%. It didn’t matter if I was hurt or sick, or if I had to work in the day or in the night. No one was going to beat me in practice.”

To make his dreams come true, he worked multiple jobs as a permit runner, construction worker, pizza delivery man, strip club bouncer, and his favorite, taxi driver.

His hard work eventually paid off as his dream promotion, WWE, signed him. There, he also met his wife, Lana. After a decade under the Rusev moniker, WWE released him in April this year. Nonetheless, he never looked down.

“Before you live your dream, you need to fight life. That’s what I was doing, fighting against whatever life put in my life,” he said. “I wasn’t born with that silver spoon or whatever it is called. It was no different when I got released. I knew in my heart that I should not give up.”

After his release, Miro garnered a huge following because of Twitch and YouTube. His wait finally got over as he debuted in AEW as Miro, “the best man,” to Kip Sabian.

Miro’s love for wrestling never died. Even now, he seeks AEW for future opportunities, “I came to America for an opportunity, the kind I wasn’t given in my country. That’s all I want in AEW. That opportunity.”

Hopefully, Miro will achieve more in AEW. His journey is truly an inspiration to many more wrestlers in the making.