Lio Rush To Leave AEW Amid Diversity Controversy

AEW star Lio Rush announced on Twitter that he will become a free agent.

“On February 22, my contract will expire with AEW and I will become a free agent,” read a tweet posted by Rush on Saturday morning.

Rush last competed for AEW on December 8, 2021 in a Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal where he was involved in one of the major subplots alongside Dante Martin in the midst of a feud with Team Taz. Ruch most recently made headlines during AEW’s controversy with Big Swole, who criticized the company’s handling of Black talent at the top of the promotion and lamented not seeing top executives behind the scene who look like her.

“What happens is, you have this wonderful company that treats people like family, but there is nobody that looks like me that is represented at the top and in the room with them. They are not helping to necessarily influence decisions, but to explain why certain slang and certain word shouldn’t be said. There is no one else who can explain our culture and experience except for us,” said Swole on her “Swole World” podcast.

AEW President Tony Khan fired back at Swole on Twitter, talking up AEW’s “diversity” among executives and talent, while criticizing Swole’s ability as a wrestler.

“The top 2 @AEW execs are brown (me & Megha)!! Jade, Bowens, Caster, Dante, Nyla, Isiah & Marq Quen all won on tv this month,” said Khan.

“The TBS Title Tournament has been very diverse. I let Swole’s contract expire as I felt her wrestling wasn’t good enough. #AEWRampage

Street Fight TONIGHT! [sic]”

Khan’s tweet led to intense backlash from the wrestling community. Among the many tweets criticizing Khan for his comments was Rush, who bluntly tweeted “APOLOGIZE” at his soon-to-be former boss. Rush later noted that he had a conversation with Khan and AEW Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel Megha Parekh. In the post, Rush said he was “proud” to work with Tony Khan and AEW.

“Having spoken to Tony and Megah, we have discussed the endeavors to further understand the struggles of the black community,” said Rush.

“I am grateful to be able to understand more about Tony and Megah’s own ethnic backgrounds and glad that they are actively seeking input from an African American perspective. I am proud to work for a boss and company that try to make these strides in social equality. I look forward to working with Tony to keep making steps towards positive change. I pray that 2022 is a year of positive change in all aspects. Happy New Year and GOD BLESS. #BeTheChange”

Rush appeared to have been replaced in Dante Martin’s ongoing feud with Team Taz as the once-dormant Jay Lethal came to his aid during the January 12, 2022 broadcast of AEW Dynamite.

Rush’s departure comes at a time where several AEW contracts are coming due. As of this writing, Cody Rhodes is reportedly working without a contract. Joey Janela’s contract is reportedly set to expire in the spring. Earlier this month, Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc) reported Marko Stunt remained under contract with the company but questioned whether or not the promotion would renew his deal. Stunt last appeared on AEW programming on the October 5 broadcast of AEW Dark Elevation. The report went on to note that AEW is trying to be different from WWE by waiting for talent contracts to expire rather than releasing them outright.

Tony Khan recently criticized WWE for its mass releases, saying WWE talent aren’t signing real contracts.

“Anybody who signs a contract there [WWE] these days is not signing a real contract, in my opinion. It’s a temporary arrangement. And people who come wrestle with me, a lot of these people are frankly lifers and they know that,” said Khan during an appearance on “Busted Open Radio.”

Khan’s comments, while not entirely wrong, feel somewhat dubious given the timing of Rush’s release. Rush signed a with AEW in September of 2021, and is now set to “become a free agent” in February. Five months feels like an odd timeline for a contract (Janela, Stunt and Rhodes were all signed to multi-year deals). Given Rush’s public criticisms about Khan, one has to wonder whether AEW is “letting Lio Rush’s contract expire” magnanimously, or if Rush tweeted himself out of a job after feeling the wrath of Khan.