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A former AEW star who had once publicly called out Tony Khan on Twitter recently stated that he was open to returning to All Elite Wrestling. The said performer is Lio Rush, who had a short stint with the Jacksonville-based promotion in 2021-2022.
The former NXT Cruiserweight Champion signed with AEW in September 2021. However, mere months later, in February 2022, he departed the company after his deal expired. Rush also generated controversy when he called out Tony Khan on Twitter due to diversity issues while being under a contract with the promotion.
In a recent chat with WrestlingNews, Lio Rush went into detail about why his All Elite Wrestling run didn't pan out as planned. The 29-year-old star explained that things just didn't work out that time between him and AEW.
"It was cut short because it was cut short. I mean, it just didn't work out. I say this quite often every time that it is brought up. Yeah, it just didn't work out and it, but regardless of what those reasons are, things just don't work out. You know, it's like that in life for many things and for many people. If it was a different time period, if it was a different situation, if it was, yeah, all of these what-ifs, but they weren't what-ifs. It was what was going on in the present time, and in that time, things just didn't work out,'' he said.
Lio Rush also mentioned that he wouldn't rule out returning to the company sometime later if things fell into place.
"So, you know, not to say that you'll never see me there again or not to say that the relationship is bad or anything like that. I think it was just a period in time that it just didn't work out for both parties, and we had to split ways,” he added.
Lio Rush is in touch with AEW President Tony Khan
Back in December 2023, in an interview, Lio Rush disclosed how there was no bad blood between him and Tony Khan as he mutually parted ways with AEW. Rush added that he had been in touch with Khan ever since he left the company.
“For sure, it was definitely a mutual parting [from AEW], and it was an understanding parting too. I think a lot of people think that there was this heavy war, bad blood, y’know. But like I said, sometimes things just don’t work out, and me and Tony [Khan] have been in communication since then. At the end of the day, we’ve gotta do what’s best for us, and in that instant, in that moment, it was best for both parties.”
Considering he's just 29 years old, it's safe to say Lio Rush has plenty of time left in the business, which could pave the way for a return to the Jacksonville-based promotion down the line.
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