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Lio Rush burst onto the wrestling scene when he was appointed as Bobby Lashley's hype man on WWE RAW.
The latest AEW signing stated that he was initially told by WWE's backstage staff that he wasn't ready to be on TV yet. Instead of getting demotivated, it pushed the Man of the Hour to cut promos and upload them on his social media. Eventually they caught the eye of Vince McMahon, which led to him being appointed as Bobby Lashley's manager.
On a recent episode of Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette, the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion explained how he ended up getting the role:
"I got a call when I flew back home from 205 saying I was needed for Monday Night RAW and to send my flight details. They wouldn’t tell me what I was doing. Of course, I’m backstage when I got there, panicking. I don’t know what’s going on. Paul Heyman walked up to me and said, ‘Vince had seen one of your promos that one of the writers had shown him from your social media, and he thought you were great. He wants to pair you up with Bobby Lashley.’ I’m like, ‘That’s so cool,'" Lio Rush said.
AEW's Lio Rush found his time in WWE as Bobby Lashley's hype man "surreal"
Despite being released from the company, Lio Rush had only positive things to say about the company. He called his WWE journey "surreal":
"That was pretty surreal. Just my whole journey in WWE was pretty surreal to me from the point of being signed, to me being in NXT for only two matches before I got put up to 205 [Live]. I was only on 205 for about 4 months before I got put up on RAW. I was doing 205 and RAW at the same time. That came about because that stemmed from me being in the [WWE Performance Center] and me wanting to be so ready for TV," Lio Rush said.
Bobby Lashley made a less than stellar return to WWE, but his pairing with Rush elevated him as a heel. Now a former WWE champion, The All Mighty is preparing to face Goldberg in Saudi Arabia.
Lio Rush made his AEW debut at AEW Double or Nothing 2021, entering the Casino Battle Royale as the Joker. He is playing a different character in AEW now, with his first involvement being helping Matt Sydal get a match against CM Punk on AEW Rampage.
