AEW Star Reveals His Contract Is Ending Soon
As seen in the Twitter post below, AEW superstar Lio Rush has revealed that his contract with All Elite Wrestling will be expiring Monday, February 14, 2022. With less than a month away from the contract coming to an end, Rush notes how he will now be accepting booking inquiries.
"On February 14, 2022, my contract will expire with AEW and I will become a free agent. For all booking inquiries, please email @LioRushNow@gmail.com," he writes online.
Rush has recently been featured during segments with Team Taz and Dante Martin while being featured on Dynamite, Rampage, and AEW's YouTube shows Dark and Dark: Elevation.
He also appears with other promotions, including Game Changer Wrestling, a company that's become more and more popular as they go into their The Wrld On GCW event this Sunday. On that night, Rush will be appearing as a part of "The Brass Ring" ladder match against PCO, Tony Deppen, Jordan Oliver, Jimmy Lloyd, & Alex Colon.
Rush was recently making headlines when he released several statements surrounding the Big Swole – Tony Khan controversy. It began with an episode of Big Swole's "Swole World" show that aired on the Call-In platform online. During the episode, the former AEW star pointed to a lack of diversity in the top spots of the company as one of the leading factors in her departure in 2021.
Tony Khan responded in a single tweet, pointed to how other people of color have succeeded in AEW, and then said he let Swole's contract expire because her wrestling wasn't good enough. This led to several tweets being released by Lio Rush, including statements like, "I'm not cool with any of this s–t to be honest," and, "If nobody says something, then I will. Because this is f—-d up and now I'm pissed."
A few days later, Rush released a follow-up statement regarding the situation. In it, Lio Rush took on a much more professional tone and conceded that AEW is making efforts towards diversity.
"I want this to be clear... I do not consider this to be a diversity issue, and I at no point have thought or said that AEW or Tony is racist," Lio Rush writes. "We can all clearly see that wrestling as a whole and the AEW roster is perpetually diverse. The issue at hand was a racial insensitivity issue.
"Having spoken to Tony and Megah, we have discussed the endeavors to further understand the struggles of the black community. I am grateful to be able to understand more about Tony and Megah's own ethnic backgrounds and glad that they are actively seeking input from an African American perspective. I am proud to work for a boss and company that try to make these strides in social equality," Rush continues. "I look forward to working with Tony to keep making steps towards positive change. I pray that 2022 is a year of positive change in all aspects. Happy New Year and GOD BLESS. #BeTheChange"
Lio Rush has worked for Ring of Honor, Combat Zone Wrestling, and through 2017 – 2020, he worked with WWE. He may be most recognizable as Bobby Lashley's manager during his time on WWE RAW.
Rush officially signed with AEW in September 2021, returning to action for the promotion in November. He previously appeared with the company in May 2020 as the Joker in the Double or Nothing Casino Battle Royale.
You can see the full announcement below: