Lio Rush is All Elite once again. This past weekend at AEW WrestleDream, the Man of the Hour revealed that he has signed a new contract with AEW, bringing him back to the company on a full-time basis for the first time since February 2022. Rush had been in and around AEW storylines since AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door this past June, pursuing the AEW TNT Championship while also reuniting with former tag partner Dante Martin and the rest of Top Flight. Most recently, Rush has been entangled in a feud with MVP and Shelton Benjamin as those two begin to build a new Hurt Business in AEW.
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While Rush’s last AEW deal was a short stint, lasting around six months, the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion confirmed to ComicBook that his new AEW contract is for three years.
“I am in AEW for the long haul. I can confirm that I’ll be in AEW for at least the next three years,” Rush said. “I’m really excited about that. I’m excited to be able to see a future long term. It makes me really excited for what’s to come, and I’m happy. I’m really happy about it.”
Prior to linking back up with AEW, Rush had been a bit of a journeyman, wrestling on the independent circuit while also contributing to companies like TNA, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and CMLL. He will still lace up his boots for the odd exterior match, but Rush emphasized that his priorities going forward are in AEW.
“I’m all elite, man. I’m here for the long haul. I’m here to commit to AEW. I want to be an AEW wrestler. I want to be seen as somebody who is a face for AEW,” Rush continued. “I do have some interest in some independent promotions. Not too many. I know I have some stuff coming up with RevPro UK, which is a partner with AEW. They do a lot of work together alongside New Japan Pro Wrestling and CMLL. I’m just keeping it all within the family for the most part.”
Part of what excites Rush about his return to AEW is his repaired relationship with AEW President Tony Khan. Back in 2022, Khan made comments on social media about former AEW wrestler Big Swole’s exit from the company, noting he did not renew her contract because he felt “her wrestling wasn’t good enough” after Swole had claimed that her exit was related to a lack of diversity in AEW. Rush did not take kindly to this exchange, calling the situation “f–ked up” and demanding that Khan “apologize.”
This time around, Rush and Khan are on good terms.
“I’m really proud of where me and Tony’s relationship is right now,” Rush said. “It’s really cool too because some things had to be mended in order to get to where we are now. I feel like every time we see each other, especially every time Tony sees me, he runs over to me, gives me a hug, says that it’s great to see me, says that it’s great to have me back. He always says we did it. I think that’s really cool, especially coming from him. We did do it. I feel like nobody saw me being back in AEW. I definitely didn’t. I’m not sure if Tony did or if he didn’t, but I do think where we are now is so much more ahead than where we were before.
“I feel like my [previous] time with AEW, it just wasn’t the right fit. I think a lot of things were going on with me personally, professionally. A lot of things were going on with AEW, being a new company, trying to figure out what the direction was going to be, who the faces and where the talent lies within the company. Things were just getting figured out. I think I was just in a not the right place for where the company was in that time, especially during the pandemic. I just had my son, who’s three years old now. I just had a lot of different struggles and was coming into an already new company that had some struggles of their own. I think it just didn’t gel well. It was mutual.”
Rush doesn’t look back at his first run in AEW with any regret, as he believes it was crucial to getting the two on the same side in the present.
“I’m glad that we did decide to separate because if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Who knows where the landscape of AEW would be today? I’m not saying that I played a huge role in where AEW was today, but obviously, every action has a reaction,” Rush said. “Everything that is decided upon, new things have to be put in place to figure out what the problem was and how it can be prevented from that happening again. It all plays a part. Nonetheless, I’m glad that we’re in the position that we’re in today. I’m glad that Tony feels that he is comfortable enough with me to put a big smile on his face to sign me back to the company. It’s a huge accomplishment. It’s a huge milestone. I think that was in good faith of being excited for what’s to come in the future.”
Rush competes on AEW Dynamite (TBS) and AEW Collision (TNT) every Wednesday and Saturday, respectively.
