Making A Case: Why Impact Wrestling Should Sign Lio Rush

There are many things you can say about Lio Rush and there are many that he will even say are true. Although, out of all those comments, every one of them would include one similar thing. He is a tremendously talented young star. He has the walk and the talk to be a highlight of any show he is on. At the young age of twenty-six, he still has a lot of ground to work with.

He has already become a household name during his time with WWE. He became one of the most despised weasel heels in recent years as Bobby Lashley’s mouthpiece. I have never personally despised a superstar more than when Lio used to chant “Bobby” repeatedly during Lashley’s matches. However, that was exactly the reaction that he was supposed to receive.

During this run with Lashley, it was reported from many sources that Lio Rush was having problems backstage with the company. It was highly rumored that Lio was about to be on his way out. It went as far as Lio removing all mentions of WWE from social media at one point. Despite all of the rumors, Lio returned to the company in September 2019 joining NXT.

After his controversial start, Lio Rush was a changed man during his second run in the company.

He returned as a face and quickly won an opportunity for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. In less than a month after joining the NXT brand, Rush defeated Drew Gulak to win his first and only championship in the company. As the Cruiserweight Champion, Lio really shined in the ring and was able to show off his in-ring ability.

He held the championship for just over sixty days before dropping it to Angel Garza. Afterward, Lio struggled to stay in the title hunt. He managed to later defeat Garza for another shot at the Cruiserweight Championship. He was defeated by Jordan Devlin in what would turn out to be his last championship opportunity. A little over a month later, Lio was released from his contract during last April’s pandemic related budget cuts.

After his WWE release, Lio returned to the limited independent scene. He notably worked with Game Changer Wrestling fighting against the likes of Joey Janela and ACH. However, Lio would really begin to gain momentum again this past November. He was announced as a participant in New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Super J Cup.

Unfortunately, Lio showing in the cup was short. He was eliminated by eventual winner El Phantasmo in the first round. Despite his loss, Lio debuting for NJPW is a big deal for his career moving forward. The more eyes on him the better at this stage in his career. I hope that we will see more of Lio in Japan in the future. However, he still has much to do in North America.

Rush is currently signed to Major League Wrestling where he is the current reigning MLW World Middleweight Champion after defeating Myron Reed. However, like many stars that work for MLW, Lio isn’t limited to just working for their company. He could work for MLW and possibly Impact Wrestling like TJP, who may or “may not” be the X-Division Champion as Manik.

If TJP can do it, then Lio could do it too. Lio would fit right in with a company that has pushed men his size to be the top stars of the company. Guys like AJ Styles, Chris Sabin, and most recently, Rich Swann has broken the mold of the ideal heavyweight champion in Impact Wrestling. He could quickly become a stable of the company.

He would be a great addition to the X-Division. The talent to work within Impact Wrestling would allow Lio to shine like we know that he can. He could even potentially work in the tag team division. A potential tag team between Lio Rush and Chris Bey sounds like money to my ears. Whatever move is next for Lio Rush, I am sure that we can expect big things from him in the future.