WWE ace Rusev denies he was held hostage in Saudi Arabia and loves how Crown Jewel broke barriers for women’s wrestling
WWE star Rusev has denied that any wrestlers were held hostage in Saudi Arabia and insists that Crown Jewel was a "great victory for the company" for breaking barriers for women's wrestling.
The Bulgarian Brute was among the stars stranded in the Middle East following the pay-per-view event in Riyadh, with other superstars forced to miss Friday’s edition of SmackDown.
WWE insists that the delay was due to “mechanical issues” and hit back at claims that nearly 200 wrestlers and crew members were stopped from leaving Saudi Arabia following a row over money.
Rusev - real name Miroslav Barnyashev - who was stuck on the plane, sparked fears for his safety after tweeting that "we need all the prayers".
In an exclusive interview with SunSport, the 33-year-old gave his account on what happened after Crown Jewel, but he insisted that none of the WWE stars were in danger.
Asked about the harrowing experience, he said: "Unpleasant, of course, because we all wanted to go home after being away for over 24 hours.
"We were all ready to get out and we couldn't.
"The frustration just grew by each hour and me asking for prayers is nothing new.
"My father is a pastor, I'm a believer in God, Jesus Christ, our saviour, so I always ask for prayers just because I wanted to go home, not because we were held hostage.
"I don't think anyone in their rightful mind is going to hold 170 people, American citizens, hostage, I don't think that'll reflect well anywhere."
I don't think anyone in their rightful mind is going to hold 170 people, American citizens, hostages, I don't think that'll reflect well anywhere
WWE star Rusev
Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan, Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, and Tyson Fury all managed to get out of there quickly on their own private jets.
But that left those left behind furious with a number vowing never to go back to Saudi, with Karl Anderson claiming that he couldn't be paid enough.
Rusev joked that the money could definitely persuade him to return to the Middle Eastern country, before hailing Crown Jewel for breaking down barriers in the sport.
Natalya scored a submission victory over Lacey Evans in the first-ever women's wrestling match in the history of the country.
WWE's female stars have previously been banned from performing at the shows in Saudi Arabia but Rusev touched on how special it was that he was joined this year by wife Lana.
He added: "I make a lot of money, I will definitely go back.
"I love it, I love every single trip that we do there, I love how we break barriers with women wrestling there and Lana being able to go.
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"I think it's a great victory for the company, not just for that, but to open new doors and new opportunities to develop further, it's just amazing.
"It's a great opportunity for us to be ambassadors for entertainers.
WWE Superstar Rusev posed in his own life-sized toy box at Argos Leeds Headrow store. The WWE Wrekkin' Performance Center Playset and other selected WWE toys are available with 20% off, plus get an additional 20% off the discounted price with the code TOYS20 until 00.59 on Tuesday 12 November at argos.co.uk
