Lio Rush: Five must-see matches in All Elite Wrestling

Lio Rush has been wrestling all over the United States and abroad for many years, but the high-flying loudmouth is still only 26 years of age and is only just getting started.

After debuting at AEW’s Double or Nothing event on Sunday night as part of the Casino Battle Royale, there are a plethora of enticing matches for him to have within the company.

Rush — real name Lionel Green — possesses incredible speed inside the ring but also has the promo ability to be a real star within AEW if given the opportunity.

He proved that he can work as both a heel and a babyface during his run in WWE, and that is something that will hold him in good stead.

Here are five must-see matches for Lio Rush in All Elite Wrestling. 

Darby Allin

This one is just so obvious, but that’s not a bad thing.

Two of the smaller wrestlers at the company’s disposal, Darby Allin (170 pounds) and Rush (160 pounds) use similar styles inside the ring.

Both men are fearless, can pull off insane high-flying moves, and get the crowd on their feet at any given moment.

Outside of the ring, Rush’s loudmouth persona would be the perfect foil for the quiet and mysterious Allin.

PAC

PAC is considered one of the best in-ring performers in the world and could elevate Rush inside the ropes.

And while “The Bastard” does have incredible ability as a high-flyer, he has demonstrated his power plenty of times and would be much larger than Rush if they were to square off.

It would allow Lio Rush to work from underneath against a bigger opponent, but PAC would still be able to hang with him in terms of speed and high spots.

The Englishman is near the top of the card right now, having being involved in the world title match at Double or Nothing, but could be a great early opponent for Rush in AEW.

Brian Cage

With a split from Team Taz brewing, Brian Cage looks set for a monster babyface push in the coming months after some impressive matches with “Hangman” Adam Page.

If we saw the same Rush that was paired with Bobby Lashley in WWE back in 2018, the audience would be dying to see someone like Cage crush a chicken-s*** heel and get his revenge if built properly.

While Cage may be a big guy, he isn’t at all limited in the ring and could certainly hang with someone like Rush.

“The Machine” and Rush are actually scheduled to face each other in July for indy promotion Warrior Wrestling, and AEW would be silly not to showcase it on TV before then.

Miro

After winning the TNT Championship from Darby Allin, we have already seen the former Rusev take down a much smaller competitor in Dante Martin on an episode of AEW Dynamite.

That title has a history of “open challenge” style matches on TV, and Rush would certainly be able to fill that spot.

The pair could conceivably go out there and have a 10-minute match and achieve two things: get some easy heat on the champion, and build sympathy for Rush as a babyface.

Miro and Lio Rush never worked together in WWE, but the Bulgarian works well with just about anybody, and a match, or even a mini-feud, between the two wouldn’t disappoint.

Max Caster

If nothing else, this would be enjoyable from a promo perspective.

Max Caster has been growing in confidence recently on AEW television, with his rap gimmick alongside partner Anthony Bowens garnering plenty of praise.

Rush has a music career of his own and fancies himself as a rapper, and the pair would be able to create some fun moments inside and outside the ring.

While the match quality might not be as strong as some other options on this list, if Rush and Caster were on the screen together, it would be entertaining, to say the least.

They could even go the route of having Rush being forced to find a partner and take on The Acclaimed in a short-term program.