Former AEW Star Teases WWE Return
Lio Rush took to Instagram on Monday and uploaded a highlight reel from his time in WWE. The young star first joined WWE in 2017, working in NXT and 205 Live and as a manager for Bobby Lashley on the main roster before going on hiatus in 2019 over backstage issues. He'd return to NXT late that year and held the NXT Cruiserweight Championship before being let go in April 2020 due to budget cuts.
He first arrived in AEW in May 2021, but wouldn't sign a full-time contract until September. He then announced in January that his contract was set to expire the following month and that he wouldn't be returning to the company. Rush has only wrestled four times in 2022, working for NJPW Strong, GCW and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. The last of those matches saw him get rushed to the hospital with a shoulder injury.
If Rush were to return to WWE, he'd be joining the likes of Dakota Sky, Karrion Kross and Scarlett as wrestlers who have returned since Paul "Triple H" Levesque took over as the new WWE Head of Creative. AEW President Tony Khan has publicly addressed the speculation that former WWE stars he currently has under contract like Adam Cole and Malakai Black will eventually follow suit.
"I am a little amused that changes in the competition (McMahon leaving, Levesque taking over as WWE's booker), people think that it's going to magically change the landscape. ...Some of the narratives that I've seen (on Twitter) for the last week are really amusing me. I've got people signed here for five years and people think just because the CEO, the Chairman, the Head of Creative, those positions change in the competition, people that I have five-year contracts with are just going to magically switch teams? Good luck with that. Adam Cole is signed until about 2027 now. I wouldn't expect to see him go anywhere any time soon," Khan said on Busted Open Radio last month.
"...So just because these guys had some success under a previous administration, they're not going to magically be going anywhere else," Khan later added.