10 WWE Castoffs Who Are Killing It In AEW

6. Lio Rush

Malakai Black
AEW

When you talk about coming out of nowhere, you’ve got to mention Lio Rush, who has come on strong in AEW in recent weeks.

Rush was the definition of a WWE castoff, turned into a manager on the main roster, then demoted back to NXT as a cruiserweight, where he re-established himself, only to be released in April 2020. After toying with retirement, Lio showed up as the joker in the Casino Battle Royal at Double or Nothing in 2021, before finally landing in AEW this fall as Dante Martin’s manager.

But things have really taken off recently with Rush partnering with Martin, and the duo have absolutely wowed fans with their speed and in-ring prowess. (The latest wrinkle with Dante joining Team Taz bodes watching.) Watching Lio perform, it makes you shake your head at how WWE managed to screw this one up.

It’s still early in his tenure with AEW, but Rush could be a long-term success story, finally getting the chance to show off on a big stage rather than being stifled by WWE.

Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.