Lio Rush discusses his run in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and says he feels more fulfilled.
Rush previously worked for WWE for a few years before he was released in 2020. Since then, he has dealt with multiple injuries, and he also announced his retirement before later reversing his decision. In recent months, he has been wrestling for NJPW, and he has also competed for Revolution Pro Wrestling, MLW, GCW, and PWG.
On December 14, Rush and YOH emerged victorious in the NJPW Super Junior Tag League; they defeated Chris Bey and Ace Austin in the finals to earn a shot at IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Catch 2/2 (TJP & Francisco Akira). The victory marked Rush’s first triumph in the tournament, whereas YOH had previously won it three times with SHO.
Speaking with NJPW’s official website, Rush shared his thoughts on the duo’s remarkable victory by making it clear that he’s very proud of the milestone. He stated that the win was a high point for him, given his recent injury struggles, so he’s enjoying the moment while looking forward to Wrestle Kingdom.
“I’m feeling a lot of emotions. I feel like this is a moment in my career that I’m very proud of,” Rush said. “A real high point for me professionally. I worked so hard for this through injuries and surgeries, and I’m really overwhelmed by emotion. I’m trying to live in the moment, and soak it in because I know in a few weeks, we have the biggest match that the both of us have had in our careers together. So it’s enjoying the moment but also preparing for Wrestle Kingdom.”
Rush went on to describe how his run with NJPW has helped him feel more fulfilled than he has in the past, and he emphasized that he had always wanted to work with NJPW. He also discussed his bond with YOH and noted that their trophy spoke to their strong bond.
“I’ve always felt like with other big milestones in my career, they’ve come with a bittersweet type of feeling,” Rush said. “But coming here to New Japan was something I’d always wanted to do even before I signed with WWE. So I feel much more fulfilled, and I accomplished something that was my destiny. I’ve always felt I wanted a partner to go through the same things I do in the business, and I’m glad I’ve found that with YOH. I think we’ve gained a strong friendship and mutual respect, and these trophies are a testament to how strong our bond is.”
As for the impact his work with NJPW has had on him, Rush stated that it has woken something in him up. He also noted that, compared to his previous experience with tag teams, he’s never had a partner like YOH before.
“I have experience with different tag partners through my career, but I’ve never experienced a bond like I have with YOH,” Rush said. “My other teams didn’t last very long, but I think that comes down to me not really knowing who I was fully. Coming into NJPW has awakened something in me that I’ve been looking for for a long time.”
YOH previewed their title match at Wrestle Kingdom 17 by praising TJP and Akira; he called them magicians that work quite smoothly, but he also expressed his confidence in his pairing with Rush.
“TJP and Akira…You see how good they are in that ring. They’re magicians, they really are, YOH said. “They just seem to flow from one move to the next. But we first faced them in our first match as a team, and we progressed from there to win the league. So we got better and better as a team. So us now is a very different prospect to the team that faced them in that first league match. I’m as confident as I can be against TJP and that… all I can see is Harry Potter (laughs).”
WrestleZone will have full coverage of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 as it airs on January 4.
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