Gangrel has nothing but positive things to say about Miro’s work ethic and dedication to his dream of becoming a professional wrestler.
Miro, formerly known as Rusev in WWE, got his start in professional wrestling training with legendary names such as Rikishi and Gangrel. Now, after many successful years in WWE which included a WrestleMania match against John Cena, Miro is the AEW TNT Champion, taking a chance on himself after being fired by WWE on Wednesday, April 15, 2020.
Speaking on his “Fangin N Bangin” podcast, Gangrel spoke about his early interactions with Miro and the amount of work the Bulgarian native put into making his dreams a reality.
“Miro is so dedicated. He came in -- we had morning and night classes at Knox pro in California. Miro, he was in both those classes, but in between all that, he was literally bouncing or driving a taxi. Then, he was delivering food on lunch shifts and stuff like that,” Gangrel recalls. “So he would do the morning class. He would work all night, pull in there, get an hour nap in the car, train -- and when I trained then, I was like some boot camp stuff. I mean, I was going, “Are you injured or are you hurt?! If you’re hurt, get up! If you're injured, go to the doctor’s and get a note, c’mon!’
"I have evolved as a trainer now. I realized that every trainee is different. Some don't respond to that commando style, but he did. This is a guy that would work all night. You know, he came from another country. His dream was to be a wrestler. He left Bulgaria to come here to be a wrestler... You come all the way, you gamble on you. He bet on himself. He believed in himself, he left Bulgaria, and he came to the United States to become a professional wrestler. Look at him now. That didn't come because he was being lazy, that didn't come because he wasn't dedicated. No, it's the opposite. He was a workhorse and he was super dedicated, he was super focused.”
Gangrel continued, “That's why I am super proud of him and I'm so proud when I see that. You know, when I watched his match with The Dark Order, I could see that foundation and the basics and I was proud and like that stomp before [he locks in ‘Game Over’]. A lot of people think that in wrestling, you have to be 100 miles an hour… It's not about being fast. It's like being in the right place at the right time. No wasted movement. Sometimes, they will say, ‘Less is more.’ The Samoans say, ‘Less is best.’ But really, it just comes down to being in the right place at the right time. So when I was watching this match with Dark Order, I see that he was just miles ahead, but not by being fast. He just knew his way around the ring and I was super proud of him because I know how hard he worked to become the professional wrestler that the human being is and then the man he is today and I'm super proud of him. So, Miro, good on you, man. Keep kicking ass, dude. I'm super, super proud of you. Keep rockin’!”
Miro’s next TNT Championship defense will be against Brian Pillman Jr. after the two had a brief altercation on the most recent episode of Dynamite. Learn more here.
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