Lio Rush says his brash WWE character leaves him out of his comfort zone

Appearances, they say, can be deceiving – and it once again it looks as though that adage is no truer anywhere than in professional wrestling.

So often we see characters who are outlandish and larger-than-life dominating the screen and the squared circle, with little idea as to what they’re like inside their own homes or in their private life.

It can sometimes come as a surprise, then, that occasionally wrestlers who make such a lasting impression – positively or negatively – are revealed to be quite a departure to what is depicted week in, week out in the world of sports entertainment.

One such example would be the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush, who gained ‘main roster’ notoriety as the infuriating Hype Man of Bobby Lashley during 2018 and 2019.

The 25-year-old would rile the WWE Universe with his motormouth rants at ringside and, for a while, during Lashley’s matches, and was a key factor in Lashley’s rivalries with the likes of Dean Ambrose and Finn Balor.

Rush himself, however, has revealed that he is, in ‘real’ life, a far cry from the annoying nuisance that surrounds his character.

Speaking on the Swerve City Podcast, the Superstar, who is also an emerging rap artist, insisted that the antics he had to live up to on screen left him somewhat uncomfortable.

He said: "People are so used to seeing that loudmouth, brash character on television that made people hate him.

"It was weird for me, to be honest, to flip the switch just like that, to be somebody completely different than what I am in real life".

"I feel like I'm a pretty calm, collected kind of guy. I'm pretty laid back, [so] to be out there, screaming through a microphone every week was pretty nerve-wracking. It was definitely out of my comfort zone, for sure."

Rush, who wrestles on NXT and 205 Live, lost the Cruiserweight Championship to Angel Garza back in December of last year.

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