Rusev, Former WWE Star, Confirms Positive COVID-19 Test During Livestream

Professional wrestler Rusev has been away from WWE following his release in mid-April. He has used some of his time to Livestream video games on Twitch and dropped some stunning news during Sunday's session. Rusev revealed that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Sean Ross Rapp of Fightful first reported the news on Sunday afternoon, prompting several responses on social media. Many fans simply expressed hope for a quick recovery. Others wondered if any other prominent figures would test positive in the coming days. Rusev is married to fellow professional wrestler Lana, who recently revealed that her parents both tested positive for the coronavirus. Many fans felt that the combination of figures "guaranteed" that Lana would soon test positive.

"That poor family can't get a break geez. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for him and Lana's folks," one fan proclaimed on social media. Others said that Rusev appeared fine in his Twitch stream. They said he was eating chicken and playing video games with WWE's Cesaro.

WWE originally released Rusev amid "cost-saving measures." The company cited the lack of revenue from live events due to the ongoing pandemic while parting ways with several employees. Along with Rusev, WWE parted ways with Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Drake Maverick, Eric Young, EC3, Lio Rush, Zack Ryder, and Curt Hawkins. The company also parted ways with many behind-the-scenes employees.

While Rusev "appeared fine" after confirming his positive test, Lana's parents faced a very different situation. Her asthmatic mother was in ICU earlier in the week while her father was bedridden. Both parents did make positive strides as the week progressed, which Lana detailed in a YouTube video.

"So my mother is doing much better," Lana said in her update. "They have had her off of the oxygen in the hospital for over 24 hours. Now that's incredible, thank you guys for all of your prayers and positive thoughts. Her oxygen, the thing she has to breathe in, is doing — it's like you don't want it lower than 90, and it's like 93 right now. So that's really good. They've had her off of oxygen for over 24 hours, and now she's out of the ICU. She is in a hotel room that they are talking about releasing her today because she's doing much better."

Lana explained that both of her parents on well on their way to recovery after a frightening week. Now, however, her attention will shift to her husband. Rusev has not displayed similar symptoms, and the fans are expressing hope that this will continue.