AEW Star Hospitalized After Injury at PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles 2022

AEW star Lio Rush had to be rushed to the emergency room after suffering a dislocated shoulder during Night Two of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Battle of Los Angeles 2022 on Sunday night. The annual tournament saw Rush take on Buddy Matthews in a match that ended in a disqualification. “Speedball” Mike Bailey replaced Rush in the following round and made it to the finals before losing to the eventual winner in another AEW star, Daniel Garcia. According to a fan in attendance, Rush’s injury took place when Matthews nailed Rush with a Curb Stomp. 

Reports also indicated fans inside Los Angeles’ Globe Theatre had to be reprimanded for throwing drinks into the ring. Rush released a statement regarding his status on Monday and specifically mentioned how poorly the fans in attendance behaved. 

“Clean dislocation in my left shoulder (opposite to my previous shoulder injury),” Rush wrote. “MRI in 2-3 weeks to hopefully find that there’s no severe ligament damage/tear. To all the boys in the back and crew at PWG last night that were super attentive and extremely helpful, thank you so much. More frustration and disappointment than anything else at the way last night ended. To all of my fans and supporters, thank you for the outpouring of love and support. Saddened by the hate speech, racial slurs, and throwing of objects in the ring by the ‘fans’ who attended Night 2 of BOLA, but nothing will [damange] my love for this sport and stop me from performing for those who appreciate my craft. I will be back. See you soon.”

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At the start of the year, Rush called out AEW president Tony Khan for comments he made about the company choosing to not re-sign Big Swole. He released a follow-up statement saying he and Khan had positive discussions, but then he stopped getting featured on AEW TV in any capacity. He then announced that his AEW contract expires on Feb. 14 and that he has no intention of signing a new deal, making him a free agent. However long this injury keeps him out of action remains to be seen. 

The annual PWG tournament has been an annual staple of the independent pro wrestling world since its inception in 2005. The winner is often one of the best in-ring wrestlers on the independent scene, with previous victors including Kenny Omega, El Generico, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Ricochet (twice), Zack Sabre Jr., Jeff Cobb and Bandido.