40-year-old WWE RAW star confirms in-ring return forward of Royal Rumble

The 2026 Royal Rumble is just a few days away, and the WWE Universe is excited to see which stars will participate in the 30-wrestler contest. Interestingly, a 40-year-old star who has been away from the ring for a long time, Rusev, has announced that he will be back soon.

The former three-time United States Champion took to Instagram and posted a reel in which he talked about the cold weather and the snow. He said he was making the video for his wife, CJ Perry (aka Lana), because he likes to make her happy.

The Bulgarian Brute also put some snow on himself before announcing that he would fight a match the next day, in the Main Event.

“Hey, I like pleasing my wife, not just in the bedroom, but I guess with videos and pictures in the cold weather outside. So here I am in the snow with buried whatever bikes are, and here I am. I hope you’re happy, CJ, and I hope you’re safe in California in 90-degree weather. And here I am here. Are you happy there? I’m putting some snow on me. Hopefully you’re happy now. May God bless you. Goodbye. Oh, look at that thing in the back. And I have a match tomorrow on Main Event, so come watch me to run off. Peace.”

Rusev was last seen on WWE SmackDown in the Last Time is Now tournament on November 21, 2025, where he lost to Jey Uso. Rusev was the runner-up in the 2016 Rumble, which Roman Reigns won.

Sami Zayn heads to the WWE Royal Rumble with a title shot

The January 24, 2026, edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event saw Sami Zayn, Trick Williams, Damian Priest, and Randy Orton fight a Fatal Four-Way match. The four men competed for the number one contender’s spot for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

In the final moments of the match, Sami Zayn set up Trick Williams for a Helluva Kick but missed. Priest intervened and floored Zayn with a Razor’s Edge. By the time The Punisher dealt with Trick Willy, Zayn was back to his feet and hit Priest with his finisher to win the match.

Now, the Canadian wrestler will head to Riyadh to challenge Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. The Scottish Psychopath tried to attack the OG Bloodline member after his win, but Zayn sent the champion packing. It would be interesting to see whether Zayn can get another big win in front of his fans in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.