From the WWE Rumor Mill: Update on Lio Rush's WWE future

What’s the story?

Newly signed NXT superstar Lio Rush was speculated by many to have been released by WWE, but the former CZW Champion is still with the company according to a report published by PWInsider.

In case you didn’t know...

Rush worked in various independent promotion prior to signing with WWE but received the most fame working for Combat Zone Wrestling and Ring of Honor.

Rush was officially announced as an NXT signee on Aug. 21 and debuted the following month on the Sept. 14 tapings that later aired on Oct. 11.

The Heart of the Matter

Rush caught the attention of wrestling fans by removing all WWE references from his Twitter profile and caused a lot of speculation on his status. This is a standard practice prior to exiting the company, but many wrestlers do so to troll the internet, and that appears to be the case here.

Another reason fans believed Rush may have been released was that he has not been featured on any NXT tapings or house shows since his controversial tweet about Emma back in October.

Emma was released by WWE on Oct. 29 and Rush sent out a tweet mocking the former WWE Women’s wrestler for not being “truly ready for Asuka;” making a joke about Emma losing to Asuka on Raw days before.

Rush deleted the tweet after receiving backlash from fans and fellow wrestlers

Rush was lambasted by fans and current WWE superstars which lead to him tweeting out an apology where he said he was upset about his tweet being “completely blown out of proportion.”

Rush’s tweets in recent weeks have been very vague with little to no discussions about NXT and this was being interpreted by many fans as a sign that his days with the WWE were numbered, but that rumour no longer appears to be true.

What’s Next?

With Rush's status with WWE a bit more clear, it appears that Rush's absence from NXT tapings and live events may just be an extended punishment for his tweet regarding Emma's release.

There's no word on when he will return to NXT television, but its possible that the WWE may keep him off TV for the rest of the year, but that is pure speculation.