Former WWE and AEW star Lio Rush has had an interesting career so far. He ruffled feathers in WWE before being fired, then joined AEW only to retire almost immediately. He returned again later that year but lasted just months before once again leaving the promotion with very little explanation.
He has since turned up in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where is having a very successful run. He currently teams with YOH and wrestled at this years Wrestle Kingdom event, challenging for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships.
He seems at home now in NJPW, especially after the controversial circumstances that Lio Rush left AEW. He was released by AEW just 5 months into his second contract with the promotion, which was very odd given that he was heavily featured at the time. He was engaged in a storyline with Dante Martin, who he was mentoring and tagging with in their rivalry with Team Taz. They were one of the most popular teams in the promotion and seemed to have a big future together.
However, soon after Lio Rush stopped appearing on AEW Dynamite with no explanation. He then released a statement revealing he would be leaving the company at the end of his contract in February 2022 and ending a short yet memorable run in AEW for the former WWE man.
Lio Rush revealed in an interview with K&S Wrestlefest. that he left AEW because he did not want to be stuck being a manager, like he was to Bobby Lashley previously. He acted more like a manager than a partner to Dante Martin and it was not something he was interested in.
“I feel like AEW clearly had a plan for me. I was presented a certain way. They had the vignettes and everything. So they knew what to do with me in terms of a plan they had. Was it what I saw for myself in the company? Probably not. I just came from being a manager on TV. Probably the last thing I would want to do is transition over and do a similar role.”