WWE's Rusev And CJ Perry Announce They're Expecting Their First Child

For more than a decade, WWE's Rusev and former WWE star CJ Perry have been among wrestling's most notable power couples, even withstanding a separation in late 2023. And now the couple are ready to embrace a more worthwhile challenge; parenthood. People Magazine reports that Perry and Rusev are expecting their first child, due on April 28 2027. The great news comes after what they called a "wild and emotional" journey.

"We started IVF in 2025, and on August 10, 2026, we had our embryo transfer," Perry said. "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."

Rusev joked that the couple were planning on moving to Spain, with the idea of enrolling their son into the youth academy of La Liga football powerhouse Real Madrid. He also revealed that the couple was planning to name their son Bear Petrov Barnyashev, a tribute to Rusev's father.

"Ten years ago, I had a vision of naming our son Bear, and we chose his middle name to honor my father," Rusev said. "Bear will be his first grandson."

The news comes as Rusev has been off WWE since July, when he lost a singles match to Je'Von Evans. It has since been confirmed that the former AEW TNT Champion was suffering from a neck injury that caused his hands to go numb in the match. Upon recovering, Rusev was then beset with illness; he had been hoping to be cleared before the end of September, though that did not materialize.