Massive congratulations are in order for WWE’s Rusev and CJ Perry, who have announced that they’re expecting their first child together.
Sharing the news exclusively with PEOPLE, Rusev (Miro Barnyashev) and Perry revealed that they’re due to welcome a baby boy into the world on April 28, 2027 – who they plan to name Bear Petrov Barnyashev.
Perry also sharing a video of the moment Rusev found out he was becoming a father on her Instagram page.
Perry wrote:
“We are pregnant! It’s been such a journey 🥹 We are so so grateful”
AEW’s Renee Paquette, Dax Harwood and Jessica McKay were mong those to congratulate the happy couple in the comments of Perry’s post, as well as former WWE stars Nikki Storm (Nikki Cross) and Carmella.
The husband and wife pair also expressed their excitement at becoming parents in their interview with PEOPLE, describing their pregnancy journey as “wild and emotional.”
“It was the best feeling ever! After everything we’d been through, being able to share this news felt so special.
“The first time we heard his heartbeat, I couldn’t stop giggling. I was so full of gratitude and joy. We’ve been blessed with such a miracle.”
“We’re so excited and incredibly thankful. Miro and I have both always wanted to be parents, so being given this blessing fills our hearts with so much gratitude, after everything it took to get here, we can’t wait to meet our little boy.”
According to Perry, they started in vitro fertalization (IVF) in 2025 and had their embryo transfer on August 10, 2026:
“We were so nervous. We had to wait nine days for our first pregnancy test on August 19, followed by another on August 21 to confirm the pregnancy.”
“Those days felt like the longest of our lives! There was a lot of surrendering, letting go and trusting God through the uncertainty.”
“You start with so much hope. As you wait to see how many embryos continue developing through day three and then day five, the numbers can get smaller, then comes the wait for the genetic testing results. Every stage feels like another hurdle.”
“Our first embryo to come back with normal genetic testing results was a boy, and he was the one we transferred,”
“When they gave me the option to find out the sex, I wanted to know immediately! There’s so much uncertainty during IVF that I wanted as much information as possible.”
Discussing the origins of the planned name of their first son, Rusev revealed that the choice was actually 10 years in the making:
“Ten years ago, I had a vision of naming our son Bear, and we chose his middle name to honor my father, Bear will be his first grandson.”
Rusev re-signed with WWE in April 2025 after five years in AEW, with Perry also reportedly signing a WWE legends deal at the same time.
“The Bulgarian Brute” has been off TV since July due to injury, but recently made his return to in-ring action during WWE’s Hawaii Live Tour.
WrestleTalk sends our congratulations to Rusev and CJ Perry following this joyous news.
To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!
