Clarification On Lio Rush Status Following AEW Debut

Following the debut of Lio Rush at Double or Nothing, there has been some clarification on the former WWE star’s contract status.

During last night’s show, Rush was revealed to be the Joker entrant of the Casino Battle Royale. The former NXT Cruiserweight Champion reportedly hasn’t signed with AEW as he has a deal elsewhere.

On the most recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that Rush is signed with NJPW. Rush made his NJPW debut as part of the Super J-Cup in late 2020.

Rush competes on NJPW Strong, most recently teaming with Fred Rosser (FKA Darren Young) to battle El Phantasmo and Hikuleo earlier this month. NJPW and AEW have been sharing a lot of talent lately, including Jon Moxley, Yuji Nagata, and now Lio Rush.

During the post-show media scrum, Tony Khan confirmed that he has a “handshake” deal with Rush, saying:

“I haven’t got pen to paper but Lio and I have a handshake where he can work here and New Japan. He wanted to keep working here and I think we’ve worked something good out on a handshake. I think he has a handshake with New Japan too and that’s what we’ve been doing and it’s been pretty good. I think it’s a good way to work. So far, so good.”

The NJPW star was eventually eliminated from the Casino Battle Royale by Matt Hardy. Jungle Boy ultimately won the match, earning himself a future shot at the AEW World Championship.

During Double or Nothing, it was announced that Mark Henry had signed with AEW. Henry will be taking on a coaching role, and will also be an analyst on AEW Rampage when the brand launches.

Quote via Fightful.

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• Lio Rush
• NJPW
• Double or Nothing
• AEW

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