Lio Rush Explains Why People In WWE Thought He Was Cocky

Lio Rush hasn't been with WWE since his release in April 2020, but many fans will likely remember him for his alliance with Bobby Lashley between 2017 and 2018 — with Rush acting as his personal hype man and eventual manager. Yet while his on-screen persona reflected a man full of confidence and charisma, it wasn't quite the same story for him behind the scenes. On the latest episode of "Say Less," Rush spoke about the misconception of him being perceived as cocky.

"Naturally, I'm a pretty quiet person," he said. "And I feel like that's where the confusion between people thinking, 'Okay, is he like this?' because I would be backstage just ready to do my thing. And people knowing that I'm 20, 22 years old, every opportunity that I'm getting I'm killing it — I don't think I messed up a promo one time. So I feel like it was hard for people to look at this loud, brash, arrogant character on screen, and look at me being quiet and reserved backstage. People were like 'Oh man, this motherf***er's cocky."

As Lashley's hype man, the former "NXT" Cruiserweight Champion became best known for his over-the-top promos in a way that most fans believed to be grating. Of course, that simply means that in this instance, he was just doing his job. And in this case, it wasn't just fans who felt he was a bit brash. "It was so much fun," Rush said of his work with Lashley. "That was literally the most fun that I've had."

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