Report: Miro & CJ Perry Split, AEW Stars' Marriage Reportedly Ended Late 2023
AEW's Miro and CJ Perry are reportedly splitting up after over seven years of marriage.
According to TMZ, the two "broke up once and for all" last winter, despite Miro's social media posts about visiting Perry in the hospital as she suffered a severe infection that required multiple surgeries and almost cost Perry her arm. TMZ said their relationship was "on-again, off-again" for years, and they simply drifted apart.
TMZ reached out to representatives for Perry, who confirmed the split to the outlet. The former WWE star also provided a brief statement on the matter.
"Miro and I have made the difficult decision to separate after many wonderful years together, and have decided to move on as friends, and hopefully onscreen characters somewhere down the road," Perry told TMZ.
The couple has yet to officially file for divorce. In the aftermath of their breakup, however, Miro has reportedly moved back to Bulgaria. The AEW star has been absent from the promotion since AEW Worlds End, when Miro defeated Andrade El Idolo and Perry aligned with her husband onscreen. With his extended absence, Miro's future in AEW is unclear. However, the company does have performers who live overseas and travel to events, leaving the door open for Miro to potentially continue working in AEW.
The History of Rusev and Lana
Miro first joined WWE in 2010, soon becoming known as Alexander Rusev and later just Rusev. Perry then signed in 2013 and was paired with Rusev right away under the name Lana. According to Perry, she began speaking Russian during her tryout with WWE, which inspired the partnership with Rusev. The two began dating shortly after.
Perry and Miro later married in July 2016. TMZ broke the news of their engagement, which quickly caused waves with the couple's employer. Producer "Road Dogg" Brian James has previously stated there were issues backstage, and WWE officials were not pleased by the couple making their impending marriage public. At the time, Miro was the company's United States Champion, feuding against Dolph Ziggler, whom Perry was romantically linked with onscreen.
The two soldiered on and were soon reunited onscreen. Over the next several years, the couple found success within WWE, but multiple storylines would use the pair's relationship onscreen to generate drama. That includes romantically linking Lana to other WWE stars, such as Enzo Amore and Bobby Lashley. As controversial as the Lashley storyline seemed, it came to an early close when Rusev was released by WWE in April 2020. A little over a year later, Perry was let go as well.
Miro and Perry Head to AEW
Following his WWE release, Miro made his AEW debut in September 2020, first appearing as the "Best Man" for Kip Sabian. Though Perry was still with WWE for some time, Miro made occasional allusions to his wife on TV, which increased in frequency after her release. Meanwhile, Miro's AEW run continued in stops and starts. Though he'd find success by winning the TNT Championship, he would also disappear for long stretches of time.
As the allusions to his "hot, flexible wife" grew more frequent, Perry finally debuted last year at AEW All Out. However, things played out somewhat unexpectedly, with Miro rejecting his wife's help onscreen. Over the next several months, the storyline would see Perry aligning herself with different members of the AEW roster, seemingly attempting to get a rise out of Miro. This culminated with their interaction at Worlds End, but it seems likely that reunion will mark the end of their lengthy onscreen partnership. There is some hope for closure, as Perry expressed her desire to work together again as friends. However, it's safe to say that future is very uncertain.