MLW this week featured a Baklei Brawl between Alexander Hammerstone and Mads Krugger in the main event. Los Parks also defended their tag-team titles against TJP and Bu Ko Dao. Jordan Oliver and Gino Medina were also featured in singles action.

The full show can be viewed in the player below:

MLW Fusion 2/3 Quick Results:

1. Jordan Oliver defeated Sentai Death Squad Member
2. MLW Tag Team Championships
   Los Parks (c) defeated TJP & Bu Ko Dao
3. Gino Medina defeated Gringo Loco
4. Baklei Brawl
   Alexander Hammerstone vs Mads Krugger

Injustice and Contra Unit Rivalry Continues

Last week, Jordan Oliver and Myron Reed from Injustice dressed up as Sentai Death Squad members in order to attack Contra Unit. This week, Oliver would take on one masked member of the squad. Myron Reed also challenged Contra Unit to a tag match for next week, which was later made official.

Oliver got a quick win here but he may have been injured. He came up favoring his leg after a running kick. Oliver hit a springboard cutter shortly after for the win. He’s wrestled a bunch since these tapings so I’m assuming his leg is fine.

After the match, Oliver cut a promo saying he now weighs 220lbs and is a heavyweight. He’s coming after Jacob Fatu and the MLW World Heavyweight Championship.

Is Azteca Underground Going To Purchase IWA Puerto Rico???

Salina de la Renta cut a promo this week where she spoke about the mysterious owner of Azteca Underground having deep pockets. Salina revealed that this mysterious person has put in an offer to purchase a percentage of IWA Puerto Rico, the promotion that Savio Vega is currently the owner of.

Update On The MLW Referee Scandal and Tim Donaghy

Last week, the referee had the heart of the 2007 NBA Betting scandal cost Savio Vega the Caribbean Championship in a strap match against Richard Holiday. There were a few updates this week, including the fact that several late bets came in on the match between Holiday and Vega. Alicia Atout confirmed that MLW is looking into the matter. She’ll interview Richard Holliday about it next week.

Los Parks Defend Tag Titles Using Underhanded Tactics

TJP and Bu Ko Dao qualified for this tag title match by picking up a win last week. Things wouldn’t go as smoothly for them this week, however.

Salina de la Renta brought out her Los Parks tag-team but was accompanied by an unnamed man who was described as being a representative for El Jefe (a moniker often used for Dario Cueto in Lucha Underground).

The finish of the match came when El Jefe’s representative lifted up the ring apron and allowed a LA Park Jr., who was not in the match, to replace El Hijo de LA Park. Salina had the referee distracted and when they returned to the match, they did not notice that the Park sons had swapped spots. This allowed LA Park Jr. to hit a shoulder-breaker on Bu Ko Dao for the win.

After the match, TJP seemed upset with his protege and walked out on him.

Lio Rush vs Laredo Kid Next Week

Lio Rush is the new MLW World Middleweight Champion. He defeated Myron Reed for the belt at Kings of the Colosseum last month. Laredo Kid is the AAA Cruiserweight Champion. Next week, the two will clash in what will be a fairly epic main event match.

This week, Lio Rush cut a promo saying he wants to be a two title champion in MLW and AAA and wants to challenge Laredo Kid.

Concerns Piling Up Regarding “Filthy Island”

Sponsors have been turning away from Tom Lawlor’s “Filthy Island” in droves. This is mainly due to Lawlor being suspected to have been behind the recent attack on ACH. With no money backing the island festival, it seems things are turning into a bit of a Fyre Festival type situation. The Filthy Island event will air on February 17th and it might turn out to be a fairly infamous show. King Mo vs Low-Ki has been booked for it.

Gino Medina Defeats Gringo Loco

Before this match, we saw clips of Richard Holliday and Gino Medina arguing over if Medina was fired from the Dynasty or if he quit. This week, we saw Gino Medina in singles action against Gringo Loco. Medina was able to pick up the win by reversing a pinning combination into his own pinning move. After the match, however, Medina was cutting a promo and Gringo Loco came flying in from above with an attack. It appears things aren’t over between these two.

Contra Unit Has “Big Plans” For Alexander Hammerstone

Alexander Hammerstone met Mads Krugger this week in an undisclosed location for a Baklei Brawl. In storyline, the match is a no-holds-barred type fight that Krugger is believed to have taken part in frequently in South Africa.

Camera operators were nervous and could be heard lobbying for leaving the location throughout the match. There were concerns about the presence of liquid nitrogen and other dangerous items as well.

Hammerstone appeared to have gotten the advantage on Krugger and pinned him but things weren’t exactly as they seemed. Hammerstone then noticed that Krugger didn’t have the same tattoos and the glove was on the wrong hand. This wasn’t Mads Krugger! The real Krugger then came out and attacked Hammerstone. The show closed with Krugger standing tall over Hammerstone and saying Contra Unit has “big plans” for him.

MLW.com has since updated Hammerstone’s condition:

“Hammerstone, who had his bell rung, has refused medical treatment despite a huge knot swelling on the side of his head from a crushing blow to his skull in the closing moments of the Baklei Brawl.”

“Fleeing the scene as several cars arrived carrying MLW security and staff, Mads Krùgger and CONTRA soldiers were spotted the referee and camera man in the Baklei Brawl leaving a note near a still downed Hammerstone.”

Lio Rush will return to New Japan Pro Wrestling on January 29th, 2021. It will be his first match back for the promotion since competing in the Super J-Cup last month. NJPW recently announced matches for the next two weeks of NJPW Strong airing on New Japan World with Rush appearing in the main event of the show on the 29th.

Rush will team with TJP and Fred Rosser (aka Darren Young) to take on the Bullet Club team of El Phantasmo, KENTA, and HIKULEO on the show.

The full lineups for the next two episodes of NJPW Strong is below:

July 22nd, 2021 New Japan Strong

1. Kevin Knight & Jordan Clearwater vs Logan Riegel & Sterling & Riegel
2. Brody King vs JR Kratos
3. Ren Narita vs Bateman

July 29th, 2021 New Japan Strong

1. Clark Connors vs The DKC
2. Rocky Romero vs Chris Dickinson
3. Lio Rush, TJP, & Fred Rosser vs Hikuleo, KENTA, and El Phantasmo

Lio Rush was eliminated in the 1st round of the Super J-Cup, losing to El Phantasmo. He recently defeated Myron Reed to win the MLW World Middleweight Championship at Kings of the Colosseum.

The next big NJPW show will be the New Beginning in Nagoya on January 30th, 2021. The promotion will then present the New Beginning in Hiroshima over 2-nights on February 10th and 11th.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling recently announced that they would be holding their Super J-Cup, a sporadically held junior heavyweight tournament, in the United States. This tournament will include both NJPW wrestlers who are unable to travel to Japan due to COVID-19 restrictions, and non-NJPW-affiliated wrestlers.

This eight-man tournament will take place over a single day on December 12, 2020, and will be streamed live, with English commentary, on NJPW World. The first round matches are as follows. See the bracket structure in the featured image.

• Clark Connors vs. Chris Bey [IMPACT Wrestling]
• ACH vs. TJP
• Rey Horus vs. Blake Christian [Game Changer Wrestling]
• El Phantasmo vs. Lio Rush

During his WWE stint, Lio Rush made more headlines with reports of his relationship and disagreements with the WWE management than he did with his performance in the ring.

The recently released star spoke to SportsKeeda on the matter and he talked about things like his firing from the company, his interactions with Vince McMahon and more.

Discussing his relationship with the godfather of NXT Triple H, Rush claimed that he doesn’t really know if he ended things on good terms with the Game:

“Triple H… I don’t know if it ended on good terms or not because I feel like me and Hunter, we clashed heads a lot. We were always in disagreement as far as what the plan was for me and how he saw me as a character or how he saw me as an asset to the brand.”

• Also Read: Sami Zayn Not Working Causing ‘A Lot Of Unhappiness’ In WWE

Lio Rush continued by explaining that he felt like they were always disagreeing on the things and it was bad because he looked up to the King Of Kings when he was a kid:

“I feel like we were just always disagreeing all the time and it sucked because obviously I looked up to Triple H when I was a kid [but] at the same time, I’m an employee of his and he is my boss.

So it was hard for me to separate the two and it was kind of disappointing every time I had a conversation with him – but the lack of communication leading up to the initial release was with Hunter.”

Lio Rush has been outspoken about his time in WWE since he was released from the company in April alongside other stars such as Kurt Angle and Rusev.

He had revealed how he found out about his firing and during a new interview, he explained the reasoning behind the company’s decision to abruptly end his pairing with Bobby Lashley. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.

Lio Rush was paired with Bobby Lashley upon his arrival on the main roster and this pairing was beginning to create buzz but the company decided to end the partnership abruptly.

During a recent interview with Inside The Ropes the now-former WWE star talked about things like his relationship with Paul Heyman, reports about his backstage heat and more.

Explaining the reasoning behind WWE’s decision to end his team with Lashley, Rush said that the biggest reason for it were his issues with WWE management over his pay:

“As far as the split with me and Bobby, I know that there was some miscommunication and frustration and just me butting heads with the powers that be financially, that was my biggest thing at the time.

It’s not just me out here. I’ve got a wife, I’ve got two kids, I have other responsibilities that I have to take care of. I just felt that it was unfair in that sense, and I guess they didn’t like a 25 year old or a 24 year old, however old I was at the time, they didn’t like me being so outspoken about that so they just cut it.”

• Also Read: The Undertaker Reveals His Reaction To Learning About The Ending Of The Streak

Rush also explained that he had to tour with the then Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley everywhere he went and the expenses were not sustainable because he was still being paid the same amount when he was in NXT.

Lio Rush was among the dozens of stars which were released by WWE and during a recent interview, he revealed some surprising details about how he learned about his firing. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.

Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush was one of many WWE talents to be released from the company last month. Recently, Lio Rush took part in an interview with Forbes and commented about how he found out he was released from the company.

According to Rush, he called the company to ask when he heard about the releases and they informed him he was one of those being let go.

“I was the first group of people that were announced. I actually made the call myself,” Rush said. He continued to talk about how he saw the releases on new sites and then called the company.

“I saw that there were a lot of news sites posting about it. It made mainstream news, so I was like ‘oh man, this might be a real thing.’ So I called the Head of Talent Relations and I just asked—like, straight up—’Am I one of these people who is going to be released today? Because I’m seeing it all over the internet and I don’t want to find out over the internet or through one of my fans.’”

“He said yes, unfortunately, you are.”

Lio Rush On His Time In WWE, Wrestling Future

Rush signed with WWE in the summer of 2017. He started off in NXT but was moved to the main roster in 2018. After spending some time as Bobby Lashley’s “hype man,” Rush was reported to have been involved in some conflict with management. He began appearing in NXT once against in September of 2019, wrestling in the cruiserweight division.

Rush continued to say he’s not in a hurry to wrestle again after his release.

“I had good times in WWE. I had bad times too. And some of those bad times were a little traumatizing to me. I just thought to myself: Why put myself back in a situation where I was going to be unhappy?”

• Lio Rush Issues Statement On WWE Release, Releasing New Album

The full interview with Lio Rush can be read here.

Lio Rush has broken his silence on being released by WWE. 

The former NXT Cruiserweight Champion was just one of many talent and staff who were cut from the company last month due to budget cuts caused by the coronavirus. 

Rush took to his official Twitter account where he issued a statement. Rush also mentioned his new album, which releases on Monday, as it’s titled “Ever After.” He wrote,

“Three weeks has passed since the news of my release and in this moment…I’m overwhelmed with emotions, but mostly gratitude.

“Thankful for the opportunities that I’ve had and moments I’ve experienced with the WWE. Whether that was competing in-ring or managing on the outside, I’ve had a blast. The past three years has been quite the ride! From the highest of highs, to the lowest of lows. I’ve been tested and I’ve had to battle my demons like never before. I’ve dreamed of becoming a WWE Superstar since I was five years old and I’ve accomplished that at such a young age.

“Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and with sadness in my heart, I’m afraid this is it. My story isn’t over though. Another chapter just needs to be written. I love you guys and I’m beyond grateful for the love, support, and understanding over the years. A 22 year old kid coming in and a 25 year old man coming out with my head held high. I’ve always been a dreamer and you better believe that I’m dreaming big.”

Lio Rush then announced that his first album is being released on Monday. He called it his “FIRST MAJOR PROJECT SINCE THE RELEASE.”

He finished by telling fans he’d love nothing more than their continued love and support.

Last year, there were several reported issues involving Rush that had apparently led to him getting backstage heat and being removed from television. 

Before being removed from television, he was serving as Bobby Lashley’s manager. He returned to TV last September in NXT where he would later win the NXT Cruiserweight Title. 

• Lio Rush Takes Issue With Cruiserweight Tournament

Lio Rush was one of the stars released by WWE as part of their coronavirus budget cuts and he is now teasing a retirement from the wrestling business altogether.

The former Cruiserweight Champion took his twitter today and made an interesting comment saying “I legitimately might not ever wrestle again”:

While Rush did not elaborate on his future plans, he has been making tweets promoting his hip hop career, and shortly before the above post he had sent out another tweet, saying that he is available for music features.

The former WWE star posted an email where he can be booked and he had also recently confirmed that his debut album called Ever After will be releasing on Monday, May 11.

Lio Rush started his wrestling career in 2014. Before being picked up by WWE in August 2017, the high flying star wrestled for companies such as CZW and ROH.

• Also Read: NXT Star Reveals She Was Originally Expected To Compete At Royal Rumble

He was moved to the main roster in June 2018. He first competed in 205 Live and was later paired with Bobby Lashley as the former Champion’s mouthpiece.

While this pairing gained popularity with fans, the former NXT star got himself in a controversy after making public comments about his WWE pay.

After his comments became a hot topic of discussion, stories about Lio Rush’s backstage attitude became viral and he was finally released from the company last month.

Former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush has taken issue with WWE’s recently announced Cruiserweight Tournament. The round-robin tournament will be held to determine an Interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion while current champion Jordan Devlin is stuck in the United Kingdom due to the coronavirus pandemic. This renders him unable to defend his title, hence the decision to crown an Interim.

Taking to his Twitter account, Lio Rush wrote: “Is this still April fools!? Face with tears of joy. No Man Of The Hour? No 25-year-old piece of gold? No Versace Doctor? No Former Cruiserweight Champion? No LIO MF RUSH!?”

Rush followed up with another message. This tweet highlighted how he hasn’t been featured in a WWE video game, doesn’t have an action figure, and has been excluded from the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament. He ended it by asking, “@WWE y’all want to tell me something?”

Lio Rush previously held the NXT Cruiserweight Championship for 63 days. He lost the belt to Angel Garza last year on the December 11 episode of NXT.

Eight men have been announced to vie for the title. They include KUSHIDA, Tony Nese, Jake Atlas, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, El Hijo del Fantasma, Akira Tozawa, Gentlemen Jake Gallagher and a returning Drake Maverick. The tournament begins this Wednesday night on NXT.

NXT Superstar Lio Rush recently joined Sports Illustrated for an interview. During their conversation, Rush opened up about his six-month hiatus from WWE before sharing his future goals in the company. He also touched on his musical ambitions outside of the squared circle.

“Craved for Blood began during my time away from the WWE when my mind was in a tenuous space, all over the place, and that’s the vibe that created the song, I went through a negative place, and I worked to harness that and put it in the song,” Rush said.

“The entire song is a code that people have to crack, A line that means a lot to me is, ‘These tricky minds deep inside, we all think alike.’ Every job has its stresses, and the entertainment field is stressful. People need to find a release. A creative outlet for me outside of wrestling is my music.”

Lio Rush On His Time Away

Following his time away from WWE, Lio Rush admitted that his return was “pretty special.” He reflected on his first run in NXT, noting that he only had a short time there. 

“Some people were surprised I am a wrestler after they were only used to seeing me beside Bobby Lashley as a manager on Monday Night Raw. People know I can talk on the mic, but I want to show the world I can do it all. It’s special to be back wrestling, and I want to show I am one of the best wrestlers in the world.”

When it comes to his future goals, Rush is focused on creating a bigger name for himself. He also wants to highlight that he is a hard worker and is ready for whatever may come, noting “I’m prepared for anything that comes my way.”

Former Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush recently held a Q&A session on Twitter where he answered questions related to his next album, his favorite feud and more.

When asked why he loves wrestling, the former Champion explained that he grew up watching the business and it’s the only thing that makes him feel like a kid once again:

“I grew up watching wrestling as a kid. It was the only thing that made me feel like a kid again the older I got. I try to remind myself this every day.”

The NXT star also made some interesting comments about the state of 205 Live when a fan asked him if the Cruiserweight Exclusive Show should have its own Takeover Style events.

Rush replied to this question from the fan with a remark on the current state of the series and said that he thinks 205 Live should be treated better as a whole. You can check out his comments in the tweet below:

Lio Rush has previously been subject to reports of backstage heat and he had made a number of headlines last year by publically criticizing his WWE pay and financial status while being under contract with the company.

In light of his previous controversies, it’s debatable how wise it is for Lio to criticize the status of the show publically and it would be interesting to know how the WWE officials react to his comments.

NXT Superstar and former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush has opened up about his time away from the ring during his hiatus. Speaking with TV Insider, Rush confessed how he had “lost sight” of his WWE goals before his reemergence on the black-and-gold brand. Prior to this, Rush had been appearing on RAW as Bobby Lashley’s hype man.

“Last year was all over the place as far as ups and downs, trials and tribulations to get back to the WWE right now,” Rush confessed. “As far as how I approach WWE right now and my position, I’m setting the goal for myself this year in 2020 to just have fun. I feel like last year I kind of lost sight of that, I lost sight of why I wanted to be in WWE in the first place. I tried to control a lot of things that weren’t in my control.”

He noted how he is focusing on having fun and allowing things to happen organically. He is still working on the things he can control, and it’s a mindset he is bringing with him into WWE.

Lio Rush On NXT

Rush spoke about his surprise at receiving a phone call from Triple H, asking him to be a part of NXT. Despite the surprise, he couldn’t deny his excitement at the opportunity. He stressed how it’s an “incredible” time to be a part of NXT.

“When I got the call from Triple H to be in NXT again, I was a little surprised. At the same time, there was a level of excitement there. A lot of the USA viewers were familiar with me from my time on Raw, so I had an advantage in that sense to be one of a few who have had that exposure before. The level of talent on NXT is incredible. I can’t even wrap my head around how many top-tier athletes are in NXT right now at the performance center training every day.”

Lio Rush recently fell short in a championship match against the current NXT Cruiserweight Championship, Jordan Devlin.

Lio Rush is no longer holds the Cruiserweight Title as he dropped it to Angel Garza in his latest title defense as champion. 

Garza beat Rush to win the strap on Wednesday’s episode of NXT episode of WWE NXT in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University on the USA Network.

Many fans online enjoyed and later praised the two stars for putting on a good performance.

After the match, Garza proposed to his girlfriend in the ring during a commercial break. She said yes and they celebrated in the ring. WWE aired it when the show came back from break. 

Rush beat Drew Gulak to win the WWE NXT Cruiserweight Title back on the October 9th episode of NXT. 

WWE NXT Results & Live Coverage (12/11)

On April 18, 2019, it was announced that Garza signed a contract with WWE. This contest comes less than a month ago when Rush and Garza had their first match.

Last month Garza defeated Tony Nese to become the number one contender for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship but lost to Rush while challenging for the title the following week. 

What are your thoughts on Angel Garza winning the Cruiserweight Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

During the Survivor Series Kickoff show, Lio Rush managed to successfully defend his Cruiserweight Championship. “The Man of the Hour” defeated both Kalisto and Akira Tozawa in order to keep his purple title.

Afterwards, Rush caught up with WWE for an exclusive backstage interview. It was highlighted how the triple threat championship match was sprung on him at the last moment but, despite this, Rush was confident he would leave as champ.

“I’m feeling good. I’m feeling as better as ever. I went out there in a horrible mood. Horrible mood. Away from my family, away from my kids. On the road for a week plus: RAW, SmackDown, NXT, 205 Live, you name it, The Man of the Hour’s there.”

He continued, “On top of that, Angel Garza is running his mouth, talking crap, and this got sprung on me last minute. But you know what? I got the first win for NXT tonight. You put the Man of the Hour—The Champ of the Hour—at the front of the line, every time, and I deliver. And that’s exactly what I did tonight.”

Rush attacked Garza following Garza’s victory over Isiah “Swerve” Scott during Saturday’s NXT TakeOver: WarGames preshow. The two recently fought for the Cruiserweight Championship on an episode of NXT, with Rush coming away the winner. This recent attack, however, suggests that their feud is far from over.

If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.

Lio Rush and Angel Garza’s rivalry got taken up a notch backstage at NXT TakeOver War Games last night. Rush successfully defended his NXT Cruiserweight Championship against Garza on the November 13th, 2019 episode of NXT but Garza’s actions during the match angered the champion. In particular, Rush was upset that Garza dramatically ripped his tearaway pants off in front of his family.

Rush attacked Garza as he walked through the curtain following his defeat of Isiah “Swerve” Scott on the preshow. WWE posted the following video of Rush’s attack to their official YouTube channel:

Rush also posted the following message directed to Angel Garza:

Lio Rush NXT Cruiserweight Champion

Rush defeated Drew Gulak for the newly dubbed NXT Cruiserweight Championship on the October 9th, 2019 edition of the show. Rush is 7-0 since returning to NXT after having taken a 6-month hiatus from WWE.

• Lio Rush & Raul Mendoza defeated Ariya Daivari & Tony Nese (205 Live 11/15)
• WWE NXT Cruiserweight Title: Lio Rush (c) defeated Angel Garza (NXT 11/13)
• Lio Rush defeated Raul Mendoza (205 Live 11/6)
• Lio Rush defeated Raul Mendoza (205 Live 11/1)
• Lio Rush defeated Oney Lorcan (205 Live 10/25)
• WWE NXT Cruiserweight Title: Lio Rush defeated Drew Gulak (c) – New Champion (NXT 10/9)
• WWE Cruiserweight Title #1 Contendership: Lio Rush defeated Oney Lorcan (NXT 9/18)

Lio Rush is the new NXT Cruiserweight Champion. He recently defeated Drew Gulak to claim the title as his own on an episode of NXT. Rush would take to Twitter to commemorate his victory, writing:

“I’m the greatest Cruiserweight in the world right now and that’s an amazing feeling. Pound for pound. #ThatsFacts @wwenxt @usa_network @WWE @WWEPC”

Not everyone was happy with Rush’s sentiment, however.

WWE Superstar Mike Kanellis responded by telling Rush to “chill out,” explaining that there was an entire roster of worthy Cruiserweights who were grinding and working as Rush was “sitting at home for bad behavior.”

In a now deleted tweet, Kanellis wrote:

“You won 2 matches. Chill out. There’s an entire roster of Cruiserweights that we’re grinding and working their ass off for our Brand, while you were sitting at home for bad behavior. Let’s not act like you weren’t gift wrapped the cruiserweight championship.”

Rush responded with the following:

Kanellis recently shared that he had formally requested his release from WWE. He released a statement on Monday explaining the reasoning behind his decision.

Back in January both he and his wife, Maria, had reportedly asked for their releases from the company. They would then sign new deals in June that ensured they would be a part of the WWE roster for another five years. At the time of writing, there is no further information as to WWE’s response to Kanellis’ request.

Drew Gulak no longer holds the Cruiserweight Title as he dropped it to Lio Rush in his latest title defense as champion. 

Rush beat Gulak to win the strap on Wednesday’s episode of NXT episode of WWE NXT in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University on the USA Network.

Gulak beat Nese and Akira Tozawa to become the champion at the Stomping Grounds show that aired on their streaming service from Tacoma, WA at the Tacoma Dome. 

Rush made his return to not only WWE television but also in-ring action back on the September 18th episode of NXT when he beat Oney Lorcan in a #1 Contender’s Match.

As a result of this victory, he earned the right to be the next in line to challenge Gulak for the title. That opportunity paid off. 

Before being removed from WWE television earlier this year, Rush was serving as Bobby Lashley’s manager. 

Time will tell whether WWE continues this feud or goes into a different direction going forward. 

What are your thoughts on Lio Rush winning the Cruiserweight Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Lio Rush recently returned to WWE during NXT’s premiere on USA Network. The Superstar defeated Oney Lorcan to become the new number one contender for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. In an interview with The Sit Down, Rush opened up about his career in pro wrestling as well as his interest in music.

During their conversation, Rush shared his belief that his career may have greater longevity compared to his Superstar colleagues. He credits this to decisions he has been making. He commented that “That’s true – a lot of not smart wrestlers don’t make it to a certain age.”

When it comes to his WWE character, Rush explained that he had concerns that WWE would rely on lazy stereotypes when it comes to black talent. Rush added that he felt he had avoided these stereotypes by breaking the mold in what he’s doing.

“I always had that fear getting into it at first,” Rush admitted. “Then I felt like I broke that stereotype just because of the things that I was doing and showing that I’m not your typical stereotype, black wrestler who’s like flipping, and flopping, and dancing around and s***.”

With his victory on NXT, Rush will receive an opportunity at Drew Gulak’s Cruiserweight Championship. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Following NXT’s premiere on USA Network, Triple H took part in a media call to discuss the brand’s first episode on their new network, at one point sharing how proud he was of all the talent involved for the show they just put on.

“I just stood in front of talent and said, hard to follow up what they just accomplished without saying anything that doesn’t sound trite other than to say how proud I am of all of this,” he said.

He continued,” It’s taking a long time to get here. This was a starting line, not the finish line. We went out there tonight on the number one network on cable television, USA, amazing partners for us for years and put on what I feel was an epic hour of programming on USA. Number one trending in the USA the entire time, number one in the world the entire time, and number 4 in the world the entire time. Tough to say more than that other than I thought it was a hell of a night and thought it was an epic performance on everybody’s part.”

Triple H added he is just as proud of the team behind the scenes as he is of the talent in front of the cameras. He thanked WWE’s partners at Full Sail University, stressing that without them, the show doesn’t happen.

Rush Returns

Last night also saw the return of Lio Rush to in-ring competition. When asked about Rush’s return, Triple H admitted that working on his comeback had been in the works for a while.

“This whole thing with NXT on USA, we’ve been talking about doing it for a year and a half, two years, then when it finally happens it’s a recent development. Until it actually happens, it hasn’t happened. Until we knew what was going on there was a bit of a lag there. I’m just really excited, Lio Rush won. He’s just a phenomenal, energetic, and money performer to me. Thrilled that we get to put him on the show and have him showcase what he does. He and Oney tore it up and that’s what it’s about.”

Lio Rush’s victory over Oney Lorcan grants him a championship opportunity against current Cruiserweight champion, Drew Gulak.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Lio Rush has made his return to not only WWE television but also in-ring action. 

Rush did so on Wednesday’s episode of NXT in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University that saw him beat Oney Lorcan in a #1 Contender’s Match.

As a result of this victory, he has earned the right to be the next in line to challenge WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak for the title. 

This has confirmed that the Cruiserweight Title will now be part of the NXT show every week, which has been heavily speculated on by fans. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on when this title match will take place. 

Rush got fans speculating on social media earlier this year after he removed all mention of WWE from his bios on both Twitter and Instagram.

There have been several reported issues involving Rush that had apparently led to him getting backstage heat and being removed from television. 

Before being removed from television, he was serving as Bobby Lashley’s manager. 

What are your thoughts on Lio Rush being moved to NXT? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Lio Rush has been missing from the WWE programming for some time as rumors regarding his situation persist.

He recently addressed the speculation in an interview with HipHopDX. Rush was being interviewed about his musical career.

“I’ve always wanted to be a professional wrestler,” Rush said. “And starting my life out in sports, I felt obligated to accomplish being a professional wrestler first before I did anything else that I was interested in.”

He continued, “A lot of the times these rumors just get taken as facts because I feel like people are afraid or scared to tell their side. But I take pride in what I do and the things that I believe in. I don’t like my reputation being altered by dirt sheets [wrestling websites] or anyone who doesn’t know the full side of any story. And I just wanted to throw some positivity at the situation because everybody’s always trying to capitalize on the negative and make stories out of things that have no source or substance behind it.”

Addressing his musical career, Rush talked about wanting to create something that is raw and emotional. He claimed to want to be open and honest with his fans, and felt people could relate to that “given the current circumstances that I’m in right now.”

There were previous reports that Rush had heat backstage in WWE. Back in May, Rush removed all mentions of WWE from his social media. He replaced it with an email for booking purposes, fuelling the fires of speculation.

Lio Rush spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated about his hip hop single “Scenic Lullaby” that was released last week. 

While Rush got fans speculating on social media earlier this year after he removed all mention of WWE from his bios on both Twitter and Instagram, he remains under contract with the company. 

In this interview, it was made clear that he’s focused on his music career while being on a sabbatical from WWE. Rush stated that he’s spending time with his family and working on other projects while away from WWE. 

Lio Rush Releases Music Video

Rush made it known that being a pro wrestler has been his dream since he was a child and he’s heart is still in. Rush brought up only being 24 years old and still going to pursue a career in professional wrestling as he thinks he has a lot of time in front of him. 

“I’m still going to wrestle. This is not the end for me. I’m working on my music, I miss wrestling to death, but maybe this [break from WWE] happened to give me time to accomplish some of my goals in music.”

There have been several reported issues involving Rush that has apparently led to him getting backstage heat and being removed from television. The Monday Night RAW star has been off WWE television since earlier this year. 

Rush’s issues date back to the European tour back in November 2018  where ignored the standard backstage etiquette for the junior member of the roster on overseas tours.

Before being removed from television, he was serving as Bobby Lashley’s manager. 

Lio Rush hasn’t wrestled since March and removed mention of WWE from his social media profiles back in May. His role as Bobby Lashley’s hype man on RAW was scrapped and reports have suggested he is not in good favour backstage.

The 24-year-old recently released his first music video which can be seen in its entirety in the player below:

“Lio Aka WWE Superstar Lio Rush with 1st hip hop single,” a description for the video on YouTube reads.

Lio Rush In WWE

Rush posted the following vignette back in June which led to speculation he could be returning to a WWE brand sometime soon:

Rush signed with WWE at the end of the summer in 2017. He reported to NXT shortly after. His first match in the promotion was a loss to Velveteen Dream on September 14th, 2017.

Rush would debut as a member of the 205 Live roster in June of 2018. A few months later he would make his RAW debut as Bobby Lashley’s hype man. His last official match was a tag-team loss along with Lashely to Braun Strowman and Finn Balor on the RAW episode from March 18th, 2019.

• Lio Rush Wonders What Could’ve Been In Now-Deleted Video

There has been plenty of speculation going around in regards to Lio Rush’s status with WWE. Rush recently removed all references from WWE on his social media accounts and shared an email for booking inquiries. Now, he has taken things a step further.

Rush posted a video on his YouTube channel in which he talked about ‘what could’ve been,’ shortly before deleting it. Here are a few of his comments:

“Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I didn’t pick up that phone. If I didn’t say yes. If I would’ve stuck to the plan that I had for me. If life would’ve been easier or harder. I wonder if they would’ve even noticed me.

“If I would even be in the position I am right now. Don’t you ever wonder if you made the right decision, the right choice? If you would’ve acted off your mind instead of your heart? I wonder.”

Rush’s Recent Issues

Rush has been subject to backstage heat in WWE, with several reports citing numerous issues. Reports include Rush refusing to take advise from a veteran backstage, and going to WWE officials to complain about being pulled aside and talked to.

He also reportedly allowed his wife to change in the female locker room, and some backstage guests he brought, who were not properly credentialed, were unkind to a member of WWE’s security team. Rush has been missing from WWE TV for the past several weeks.

• Mark Henry Says He Tried To Help Lio Rush

Previously, he served as the manager to Bobby Lashley. The pairing was rather successful, as it included an Intercontinental Title run for the former ECW World Champ. However, Rush was said to be less than satisfied with the managerial role, voicing his frustrations backstage as well. It remains to be seen what will become of Rush, but we’ll keep you updated.

What do you think about Rush posting and then deleting the clip?

H/T WrestleZone for the transcriptions

Lio Rush got fans speculating on social media as he has removed all mention of WWE from his bios on both Twitter and Instagram.

He instead has his booking email address for all business opportunities. On Instagram, a link to his Cameo account, which is where Rush sells personalized video shout-outs to fans for just $20.

The Monday Night RAW star has been off WWE television for several weeks now. He’s also not working the current European tour with the rest of the crew. PWinsider.com has reported in the past that there had been some talk within WWE about him being sent to the NXT brand in the near future.

There have been several reported issues involving Rush that has apparently led to him getting backstage heat and being removed from television.

Rush’s issues have been going on for some time now that dates back to the most recent European tour back in November 2018. This is where ignored the standard backstage etiquette for the junior member of the roster on overseas tours.

With Rush removing all mention of WWE from his social media accounts, it’s going to be interesting to see if the company will release him or he’s trying to get out of his contract.