WWE Alum Lio Rush Suddenly Retires After Injury

Lio Rush is calling it a career. On Monday, the former WWE Superstar announced he’s retiring from pro wrestling. This comes after he made his debut on All Elite Wrestling, competing in the Casino Battle Royale at AEW Double or Nothing last month. Rush made the announcement on his Instagram page and revealed that a recent injury, an acromioclavicular joint separation, played a factor in his decision.

“I have written and erased this post so many times purely out of not being able to wrap my head around this,” Rush revealed. “The moment I went home in a sling, I kept saying to myself, ‘This was like any other time I got a little bruise or strain and I will shrug it off and continue on my new journey.’ Once the pain subsided and I started to feel just how uncomfortable it was to feel my arm hanging from my body, I sunk into an immediate and rapidly growing depression because I knew something was wrong…”

Rush continued: “Got the news that I’d be taking some time off due to this injury. Me thinking it would only affect my wrestling obligations, I still tried to go on about my days as I knew them. I realized just how much this would affect my everyday life. For anyone who knows me, you know that I work endlessly for me and my family. It became more and more frustrating everyday finding little things I could no longer do. Like simply putting on a shirt and a much harder fact to deal with, not being able to pick up my newborn son…”

Rush went on to say that he’s “grateful” for the opportunity he had to compete in AEW despite his injury. He is signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling and would have been the first person in history to “be signed to two major wrestling organizations simultaneously” as he was set to sign with AEW. At the end of his statement, Rush revealed that he will make one final appearance for New Japan once he’s healed from his injury.

“Lio Rush reached out to me today, and he shared that he’d planned to announce his retirement from pro wrestling tonight,” AEW Chairman Tony Khan said in a statement. While this news was unexpected, I’m glad that he’s made a choice that he’s confident will make him and his family happy. Lio is a great talent, and I enjoyed briefly working with him, and I absolutely wish him the best.”

Rush, 26, competed in WWE from 2017-2020. When competing in NXT, Rush won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship and held on to the title for 63 days. While on the main roster, Rush was the manager and hype man for Bobby Lashley.