AEW and NXT Wednesday Night Wars: 3 winners of night #2

3. Lio Rush

Before discussing Lio Rush’s performance this past Wednesday, it’s important to note how fantastic it is to see “The Man of the Hour” back in a wrestling ring.

Setting aside his obvious talent, the 24-year-old has been open about his struggles with anxiety and depression and following a tumultuous main roster run, it’s hard not to be happy seeing him back in NXT doing what he loves.

That’s great news for fans, of course, because Rush is really good at this pro wrestling thing. He showed it in his first match back from his hiatus against the criminally underappreciated Oney Lorcan, and his NXT Cruiserweight Championship match against Drew Gulak didn’t disappoint either.

Gulak and Rush told a basic enough story — the challenger kept the champion off-balance with his video game offense while Gulak used his strength and submissions to subdue his opponent — and maintained a brisk pace that kept the crowd energized.

In the end, Rush compressed Gulak’s jaw with his Come-Up Stunner (the coolest move in wrestling) before nailing his Final Hour Frog Splash to score the pin and his first championship in WWE.

With his skills on the microphone and in the ring, Rush is a guy the NXT writers can build the cruiserweight division around and considering the adulation he received following this win, most of the fans feel the same way.