10 Things We Learned From Speaking To Lio Rush

5. He Had To Call WWE To Be Told About His Release

lio rush interview
WWE.com

Having heard on the grapevine of social media that WWE was looking to make mass releases on Wednesday, April 15, Lio Rush told us how he at first didn't believe these online rumblings. Deciding to find out if this was actually the truth or merely internet scuttlebutt, Rush opted to call the WWE Senior Head of Talent Relations, Mark Carano.

Reflecting on that day, Lio explained, "I just got a weird feeling in my chest, so I called - *I* called Mark Carano - and I said, 'Hey man, I'm seeing a lot of things on social media about mass releases happening today. I just wanted to know before I found out over the internet, am I going to be one of those people?' He told me that I was. I didn't fight it, I didn't ask why or anything. I took a moment and I just said, 'Okay,' and I hung up. Then like an hour or two later, I was a part of that first batch of people who got released."

Upon receiving that news, the former Cruiserweight Champion revealed the mixed emotions that he underwent.

As Lio put it, "I was a little happy, I felt relieved, at the same time I was confused, I was frustrated - just because I put so much of my time and effort and energy, everything. I put everything into WWE for the past three years. Then I'm just dropped on a dime, just like that, without any real explanation other than 'We need to cut some people from the company, because we're pretty much losing a lot of money.'"

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.