Former WWE Superstar Lio Rush Announces Retirement After Making AEW Debut

Lio Rush announced his retirement from professional wrestling in an Instagram post Tuesday.

Rush said he separated AC joint in the Casino Battle Royale at All Elite Wrestling's Double or Nothing pay-per-view. The injury proved to be more serious than he originally thought.

"I realized just how much this would affect my everyday life," he wrote. "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 that 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..."

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Rush was revealed as a surprise entrant in the Battle Royale. Prior to that, he had been competing with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Major League Wrestling following his departure from WWE in April 2020.

Rush arrived in WWE with a level of hype thanks to his work with Combat Zone Wrestling and Ring of Honor. While he captured the Cruiserweight Championship in 2019 and had an enjoyable run with Bobby Lashley, his time with the company was somewhat underwhelming. He also rubbed some of his peers the wrong way, which led to reported issues inside the locker room.

In since-deleted posts on social media, Rush shared emails he had sent to WWE about what he believed to be hazing.

Considering the Maryland native is only 26, his AEW debut seemed to be just the start of big things to come. He indicated the promotion still wanted to sign him despite the injury.

This won't be the last of Rush inside a ring, as he said he will fulfill his contractual obligations with NJPW before hanging up his boots for good.