Lio Rush Debuts For AEW At Double Or Nothing 2021

Former NXT Cruiserweight Champion JUMPS to All Elite Wrestling.

by Michael Sidgwick
Lio Rush
WWE

At AEW Double Or Nothing, the Casino Battle Royale 'Joker' was revealed to be former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush.

Rush's debut wasn't heralded as some seismic surprise, proving that lessons had been learnt from Revolution in March.

President Tony Khan revealed after the show that Rush is currently working under a handshake agreement that allows him to accept dates elsewhere. Rush was on incredible form throughout the early battles of the Wednesday Night War working for the other side; his run in the Cruiserweight division yielded several pulsating matches against Oney Lorcan and Angel Garza before Rush was released in April 2020 with "budget cuts" cited as the reason. His release ended an acrimonious relationship between the two parties in which Rush excoriated the idea that he must act subservient to the old, creaking codes of pro wrestling locker rooms.

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Given the manner by which Rush was eliminated from the match, a programme with Matt Hardy was teased. Rather unfortunately, since one performer was significantly faster than the other and the wavelength was off.

It's a great "get" nonetheless: Rush is disgustingly young and talented.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!