Lio Rush Reflects On His WWE Release

In the eight years Lio Rush has been competing inside the squared circle, he has accomplished some big things. "The Man of the Hour" was regularly featured on WWE's main roster as the mouthpiece for Bobby Lashley before being shifted to "NXT," where he would go on to capture the "NXT" Cruiserweight Championship. At the time of his transition to WWE's developmental brand, reports emerged that Rush had rubbed some people the wrong way backstage with his attitude. With that experience behind him, Rush stopped by "Say Less" to reflect on how he handled himself during his WWE run, which ended with his release in 2020.

"At first, I'm just going with the flow," Rush said. "I'm doing what I'm supposed to do and I'm excited. I'm getting opportunities handed to me, well, not handed to me; I had to work for everything that I got. But I definitely feel like I got to that position in my class, right? And when it came to a halt, when I got released from WWE, it was almost like I had to just start over, and I didn't really know what to do. And it took me a while for me to realize, like, man, maybe I was a little too young for everything that got thrown at me. But at the same time, I don't regret those times at all. I don't wish that I didn't go through these things ... I feel like it prepared me for so much once I did get released."

After departing WWE, Rush went on to work for notable promotions such as AEW, NJPW, AAA, GCW, PWG, RevPro, and MLW.

If you use any quotes in this article, please credit "Say Less" with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.