Controversial Ex AEW Star Leaves Door Open for Return

AEW has a packed roster full of talent, but Tony Khan has never announced a hiring freeze. It's anyone's guess who TK may bring back next to insert some extra energy into the situation. Lio Rush seems open to the idea of having another run in the Land of All Elite.

Lio Rush, although his AEW exit was sudden and a bit controversial, will not say "no" to the idea of returning to Tony Khan's company. Things just didn't pan out the last time around.

Lio Rush's time with the promotion was brief, as he became a free agent following the expiration of his contract with AEW in February 2022. This took place shortly after he voiced his opposition to Tony Khan's controversial tweet regarding Big Swole.

Rush garnered attention amid AEW's controversy involving Big Swole. The latter criticized the company's treatment of Black talent at the forefront and expressed disappointment in the lack of representation of individuals who resemble her among top executives behind the scenes.

He later made it very clear on Twitter/X that his contract was up on February 14, 2022, and he was off to his next venture.

While speaking to WrestlingNews.co, Lio Rush clarified that his tenure in AEW ended prematurely because it simply didn't pan out. Regardless of the specific reasons, he acknowledged that sometimes in life, circumstances don't align for various individuals and situations.

“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.”

Lio Rush went on to say, "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."

Lio is still working on music, and he's not retired from the ring either. He continues to impress whenever he's booked. Hopefully, he can get back on a major television company again someday, because at 29-years-old, he still has plenty of time.

We will have to see if AEW brings Lio Rush back to the company. Tony Khan has a loaded locker room already at this point, but you never know what can happen in pro wrestling.