7 Ups & 5 Downs From IMPACT Slammiversary 2023 (Review)

3. Work Or Shoot, Rush Rules

The health status of Chris Sabin remains uncertain, but his 80-second scrap with Lio Rush over Sabin's X Division Championship did its job regardless.

Hammering Sabin's head with a kick mid-entrance and javelling himself at the defending champion with a brute of a suicide dive led to the intervention of medical staff, who refused to let Sabin wrestle. This, naturally, raised concerns of a legitimate injury until Chris Sabin got into the ring. It was here that Rush was established as the X Division's foremost threatening practitioner, again caving in Sabin's head with a kick before flattening him with two Frog Splashes. Rush's Frog Splash is a beast to take, too, as he puts all his weight across his stomach as he descends upon the victim.

Lio Rush now stands as a menace in a division that has been craving one since Josh Alexander - playing the same role as a babyface - ascended to the World Championship picture in 2021. Rush has this uniqueness to him that is often lost in modern wrestlers, in that everything he does is done to make you cheer for him or boo him. He doesn't do the anti-hero babyface or cool heel schtick; he's either the loveliest chap you know or the most despicable d*ck.

Again, the legitimate health status of Chris Sabin remains unknown, but work or shoot, this positioned Lio Rush perfectly as a potential X Division Ace.