Lio Rush made a surprise appearance as the Joker in the Casino Battle Royale at AEW Double or Nothing, and was offered a contract, but an injury led him to a brief retirement.
Lio would eventually sign with AEW at the end of September when he returned to Dynamite as LBO Lio.
Speaking to Renee Paquette on Oral Sessions, Lio discussed his relationship with Tony Khan and how he made him feel wanted following his release from WWE in April 2020.
"I remember flying to LA from Florida to have a conversation with Tony, a real conversation about events in my life. Him getting to know me, me getting to know him. That was the first we met at Double or Nothing. It was a lot of me being so brutally honest with him and a lot of him being brutally honest with me and him expressing how much he really wanted me in AEW. I thought that was so cool. That was the main thing for me. I think it would be the same for everyone that got released. At that time, we felt unwanted and felt like we were trash. I didn't want to sign anywhere unless I was wanted. I wanted to feel like I was a valuable asset to the company and he reassured me of all of that. He saw a NXT road loop show in Florida, saw me, and said I stuck out to him more than anybody else on that show. That meant the world to me. That was pretty cool. He said the match that I was in and what I did, so I know that he wasn't lying," said Lio.
Lio continued by saying, "Tony is such a great guy. That played a huge part in me wanting to be in AEW too. I didn't want another boss like Vince [McMahon]. I didn't want another boss like Hunter [Triple H]. People have different opinions about Hunter, but we always butt heads for different reasons. I didn't feel like that with Tony. I felt super connected with him and felt like he was relatable. I felt like he cared about the same things that the boys in the back care about. He felt hungry, driven, and passionate. I liked his energy and I'm all about energy. I just knew it was right. With me doing what I was doing while injured; rehabbing and finding out who I am and why I'm doing what I'm doing and where I'm going to go and who I'm doing it for, I saw such an opportunity to do something bigger than wrestling. I keep saying it and I mean it in a positive way. I'm not saying wrestling is on the backburner, but I'm trying to reach an audience bigger than wrestling. I couldn't pass up the opportunity. With learning what I learned in the past, my experience, and all my fuck ups and everything, I now, in this very moment, have the keys to success. Now I know what I need to do."
Along with wrestling, Lio continues to work on his music and just dropped his new EP Not Found.
Elsewhere during the interview, Lio discussed his current relationship with Mark Henry. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
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