Lio Rush Talks IMPACT Wrestling Being The Perfect Fit, Says It’s “The Place To Be”, Past Retirement, & More
Lio Rush has maybe the biggest match of his career ahead of him this Saturday.
Lio Rush filled in for Josh Alexander at the IMPACTxNJPW Multiverse United Show back in March after Josh was injured and had to be pulled from the show. Rush took on Kushida in a #1 contender match for the World Title.
WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard spoke with Lio Rush ahead of IMPACT’s Slammiversary pay-per-view. Rush will challenge Chris Sabin for the X-Division Championship at the event.
Rush said he returned to IMPACT this time because it’s the perfect fit for him.
“If I’m being completely honest with you, it feels like the perfect fit for where I am right now in my life professionally. Personally, it feels like the absolute right place for me to be right now,” he said.
Free agent talent will often say they chose a promotion because they wanted to work with a specific wrestler. Rush said that wasn’t exactly the case, but his familiarity with the roster definitely pushed him in the right direction.
“It wasn’t entirely the roster. I wanted to be in IMPACT. I felt like it was the right fit but the roster definitely did help. A lot of those guys, I’ve never been able to compete in the ring with before with my almost ten years doing this. A lot of those guys and girls I’ve never gotten a chance or opportunity to work with, but a lot of the people there as well were there during my earlier days in my wrestling career. Guys like Motor City Machine Guns, guys like Sami Callihan, Rich Swann, Moose. So, to have that familiarity definitely persuaded my decision to go to IMPACT a little bit more. If it already feels like home. It already feels like family, and it didn’t take long, and I wish I knew it wouldn’t.”
Rush added that while his appearance at Multiverse was a “spur-of-the-moment” situation, he believed he also lined up future opportunities with the company because of his performance.
I Am Who I Am
With his status as a free agent, Rush is also aiming to continue exploring the “forbidden door,” whether that be in IMPACT, NJPW, or other promotions.
“The plan is never going to change. It’s to always make that impact around the world, around the entire world,” Rush said. “I feel like I’ve been on the same path since I started wrestling — that’s to continue to show everybody why I am who I am,” Rush said. “I am every bit of what I think I am. That I am a hard worker, that I am a workhorse. I am motivated, that I am determined, and that I am myself 100% apologetically. This is what is supposed to be happening.”
“You want to talk about a forbidden door, I’ve been in that door, out that door, multiple times. Right now, I like to think of myself, if there’s a door, I’m the handle, because everybody has to go through me. Everybody has to touch me. Everybody has to get to me in order to walk to the other side. So, I’m excited. I love the position that I’m in right now, and it’s an exciting time.”
While Rush is confident in his professional placement right now, how is he feeling mentally and physically? In recent years, Rush has battled through injury and a brief retirement. Despite rumors and comments suggesting otherwise, Rush clarified that he has only retired once. He has since regrouped though, and believes he now is inches away from hitting his prime.
“I will say that it has been one time where I’ve genuinely said to myself, ‘I am going to walk away.’ But now that I am here and now that I’m staying here, I do feel like I’m at my best. I feel like I’m slowly creeping into my prime. It definitely feels like this is the right place, right time type of situation. I’ve never felt more clear-headed, I’ve never felt more calm, poised. I’ve never felt more healthy, physically speaking, about all of my injuries. I feel great. I really do. I’m fully ready for any and everything that comes my way.”
H/T Ella Jay for WrestleZone. Full article here.
Full interview here.
In a new interview with the Battleground podcast, Rush talked positively about IMPACT’s locker room and how he feels the hunger in many of the girls and guys backstage.
“Well now that I’m actually in the locker room and I’ve been in the IMPACT zone a couple of times now, I definitely feel the energy. The energy is a lot different and I feel like the energy is different coming off of the actual wrestlers. There are a lot of people there that are hungry in a different way, you hear the term hungry in wrestling a lot, but I definitely feel like they’ve got something to prove, all of those guys and girls are superstars and they know it, which they should. This is the place to be, this is why I’m here. I’m not gonna waste my time, IMPACT is the place to be and I’m glad to be here.”
H/T Skylar Russell From Fightful. Full article here.
Rush officially debuted with IMPACT on the 6/29 episode of IMPACTonAXSTV, when he took on Jack Price in his first match. Rush won, and then really made his presence known later in the show when he attacked Chris Sabin and cracked him in the face with his own X Division Title.
Sabin was passed after the match and challenged Rush at Slammiversary so he could get his hands on him.
The following week, Rush teamed with Nick Aldis to take on the Motor City Machine Guns, which ended when Rush pinned Sabin.
Sabin and Rush was made official for Slammiversary, coming up this Saturday, July 15th.
Get your Slammiversary tickets here.
Order SLAMMIVERSARY on FITE here.
Matches announced for Slammiversary Ppv on 7/15:
***Countdown To Slammiversary***
IMPACT DIGITAL MEDIA TITLE
-Joe Hendry (c) vs Kenny King (w/Sheldon Jean)
6 Woman Tag Team Match
-Death Dolls (Courtney Rush/Jessicka) + Jody Threat vs Gisele Shaw, Savannah Evans, & Jai Vidal
***Main Card***
IMPACT WORLD TITLE
-Alex Shelley (c) vs Nick Aldis
IMPACT KNOCKOUTS WORLD TITLE
-Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Trinity
IMPACT TAG TEAM TITLES
-ABC (c) vs Moose/Brian Myers vs Sami Callihan/Rich Swann vs Subculture
IMPACT X DIVISION TITLE
-Chris Sabin (c) vs Lio Rush
Tag Team Match – Special Enforcer: Darren McCarty
??? & Scott D’Amore vs Bully Ray & Deaner
Ultimate X Match
“Speedball” Mike Bailey vs Jonathan Gresham vs Alan Angels vs Kushida vs Kevin Knight
IMPACT KNOCKOUTS TAG TEAM TITLES
-The Coven (Taylor Wilde & KiLynn King) (c) vs Killer Kelly & Masha Slamovich
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