Miro is set to make his second AEW debut this week on AEW Collision, so we are looking back at the first time he set foot in an AEW ring.
After being help down by the WWE despite being incredibly over with his “Rusev Day” gimmick, he was released in 2020 for standing up to the company regarding their COVID policies.
Since then, he has won gold in AEW (he was probably the best TNT Champion in company history), although injuries and movie roles have severely impacted his run so far.
Miro Reveals How AEW Debut Came About
Miro has revealed how his AEW debut came to be, as well as the thought process behind his “gamer” gimmick at the start of his AEW career.
Miro spoke with Kurt Angle on The Kurt Angle Show about a variety of topics, covering his incredible career so far.
One thing he was asked about is how he signed to AEW, where Miro revealed how his manager contact AEW to gauge any interest in signing him.
He also spoke about how he began streaming on Twitch at that time, which inspired Tony Khan to give him the “gamer” gimmick he used for the first few months of his AEW run.
Speaking to The Kurt Angle Show, Miro said about his AEW debut:
“So at this point, you know, there was a pandemic. You know that, uh, I got managers who do a lot of professional wrestling signings and stuff like that. So they got in contact with Tony to see if he has an interest. Uh, for the first three months, what I did, I used Twitch because I couldn’t wrestle for the three months because all WWE contracts are three months at the time.”
“So the whole three-month release is not because they’re giving you three months free. It’s just because your contract is three months at a time. They get renewed every three months. While AEW, we have sure contracts. I signed a four-year contract that is guaranteed for four years.”
“So yeah, I did Twitch for the first three months. The first three months, I was just doing some Twitching. Then we got in contact with Tony. He showed interest. We talked about spots, you know, where can I come in? He had this vision about Kip and, uh, you know, because I think, well, Tony knew who I was from WWE and what I’ve done. “
“But I also think he saw the last three months that I was Twitching, so, you know, doing the Twitch stuff and gaming. So I think what he scared the idea for Miro came is from the Twitching mirror. So that’s why me and Kip started to do the thing.”
Please give a H/T to Atletifo for the transcription if you use any quotes from this article.
Miro’s First AEW Match
Miro wrestled his first match in AEW on the 23rd September, 2020. He teamed with Kip Sabian to defeat the duo of Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss.
It came soon after Miro first appeared on AEW TV, being revealed as the best man for Kip Sabian’s wedding.
His debut match in AEW was nothing if not disappointing. Miro’s first match went way too long (13 minutes!) for what was essentially a squash match, to demonstrate his skill set to the AEW audience.
The match also included a number of botches, including Miro tweaking his knee at one point, which slowed the match down to a standstill.
It was a clunky opener to Dynamite, and coupled with the uninteresting “gamer” gimmick Miro had at the time, made this match a real slog to get through.
Luckily, Miro soon dropped Kip Sabian and became one of the best characters on the roster, as “God’s Favourite Champion”.