Lio Rush

"Loosely followed Lio until his recent ROH work. WOW- go watch Andretti/Rush. For me its match of the year so far."

"I always have a fondness for Lio Rush's Blackheart gimmick and his wrestling style. I think he is very talented and skilled in the ring. I very much enjoy how fast and intelligent he is while he fights. I find his moments quirky and funny rather than cringy. He is a great athlete."

[8.0] "He's made a fool out of everyone saying that his Blackheart gimmick wouldn't work. He's elevated himself to ROH TV Champ and also a formidable weapon to sneak into a cage match. He's doing some seriously great work on the indies right now and even promoting his character on TMZ."

[9.0] "I remember Lio for his CZW days and i was flabergasted when i saw his new blackheart gimick, great wrestler and great entertainer, keep it up!"

[8.0] "I really love this short guy, his moves are flashy and unique. The Blackheart gimmick is a bit boring but unique too. Lio had been an amazing athlete and personality everywhere he was."

[8.0] "Dude is a big what if in terms of WWE, but his work in TNA/AEW has been stellar. In-ring, he's super-talented, nobody can deny that. Yes, there are better high flyers, but he has psychology and character work down better than most today."

[6.0] "I quite liked Lio Rush's work in CZW, his short stint as World Champion and Wired Champion was very good. I also enjoyed seeing him as Bobby Lashley's manager. But currently, I don't like him much. It's fine that he has a supernatural gimmick and all, but he shouldn't be compared to Toni Storm. Unlike Toni, Lio's gimmick doesn't allow him to cut a promo or have a match that doesn't seem chaotic. Thinking he'll succeed just because he has an unusual gimmick is a mistake. Lio can't do even half the things Toni can. Rush is okay, but he can't do much."

[8.0] "I'm giving him this rating because of his brilliant Blackheart gimmick, as I love mysticism/horror in wrestling. Lio Rush himself isn't anything special, and I remember him more for being one of the many indie darlings of the 2010s and for his time as Bobby Lashley's manager."

[8.0] "I'm improving my review. Lio Rush is a highly skilled veteran who combines speed, athleticism and unpredictability. He has a wide arsenal of moves and has experience wrestling for both major and independent companies. His current gimmick shows how he can not only wrestle at a high level but he's also very good at character work, and he's highly entertaining in every way."

[8.0] "Im giving him an 8 because in the ring he's ok but his new Blackheart character seems to actually be pretty intresting when analyzed at detail, and it's honestly remarkable how he's showing a lot of his character and his ideas through his in-ring and his banter in between than, he hasn't even had a single promo as black heart yet!"

[6.0] "Lio's athletic and for a while had a great mic presence but he's definitely high on his own supply. There's a certain amount of confidence and arrogance one must have to be able to find success in anything but within realistic expectations. I don't think Lio Rush shows that. Now he has a weird new gimmick that so far isn't for me."

[6.0] "His new character is...interesting to say the least. He's a very good performer and comes out as pretty likable. I never rated him on here prior, but if I did I'd probably give him a 7 or an 8. Because of his new character I'm giving him a 6. It's not for me at all."

[7.0] "Lio Rush was never a wrestler I always felt in love with, he is the best definition of "second option" ever. A guy that yeah, can deliver one or two good matches when it is necessary, but no one had him as a first option when anyone ask for a highflyer, for example. He is good for what they need him to do, never was a guy hard to book or find a place in the roster, but he is not a good wrestler to tolerate if you own an wrestling industry. Vince McMahon and Tony Khan widely know it."

[7.0] "I really like Lio, he's fun in ring, cool moveset. His promo skills aren't great but he's cool enough to get around it."

[4.0] "I personally don't get him, to me, he's just an average (at best) performer. First off, his Blackheart gimmick was HORRIBLE! The constant overdone false finish and no selling was aggravating to watch, it's so stupid to no sell a powerbomb off a ladder into a table. But then he joins WWE and AEW, thankfully not doing the Blackheart gimmick, but still not interesting. Since he's been in the "major leagues", he's just been a boring, forgettable mid card act who isn't even that great of a wrestler. There's countless guys who could do all of his moves and a million times better. To me, he's just a generic Indy wrestler who only got famous for doing one of the worst no sells in the history of this amazing industry. Overall, while not the worst by any means, he's just someone who I literally have no interest in and usually zone out whenever he's on."

[8.0] "One of the most passionate wrestlers today, wherever Lio is he is putting on match of the night, whether he;s on a random indie, AEW TV, NJPW, or anywhere else he is putting on amazing matches while putting most of his opponents over. His in-ring style is amazing and his promo is also pretty good. I think probably the best part of Lio Rush is definitely his heart and passion for the business. Amazing talent who could be put with anybody."

[8.0] "I have really enjoyed Lio throughout his career. He shows up everywhere and always stays authentic while bleeding out of his main gimmick in entertaining ways every now and then. I do believe he will need to continue to evolve and perhaps change his presentation in the future in order to remain a top talent among the surging new wave of talent that the current golden age of wrestling is producing."

[6.0] "I think Lio is a good heel although whenever he has been presented as a face I struggle to get behind him. In the ring he is a good high flyer and can put on entertaining matches. His charisma and mic skills are there."

[8.0] "Like other people have said on here, his career has been weird, really stop and start. Was really hoping hed be a regular in NJPW, but it seems he hasnt been there in over a year, which is a shame."

[8.0] "Lio Rush's career has been a strange one for a few years now and feels incredibly stop/start. As soon as he builds up some momentum, things go sideways. When he is on form and up for it, he is one of the best junior heavyweights around. Hopefully he has found a space in wrestling he enjoys and can thrive in."

[9.0] "Lio's one of the best in-ring guys of the 2010s, and few people are willing to really bring that up, cause the most annoying people in the world cannot get over him calling out the billionaire they like for doing something shitty in his point of view. Lio Rush is an extremely talented highflyer, super charismatic, and has a really good look. When he's been given opportunities, he fucking runs with them and makes the most of it. He was absolutely phenomenal in AEW before the TK thing went down, and it's a damn crime that we never got a Lio Rush and Top Flight trios match."

[8.0] "Extremely talented and fundamentally misunderstood. My voting on Lio Rush comes from attending a fair amount of mid-Atlantic indie shows, he's all up in my area and every time I see this dude on a show he brings his A game. He's fun as hell in MLW. He comes of as a pretty legit gaijin star in NJPW. He's a very, very capable pop-a-Bingo-Hall highspot dude but he sells well for a spot guy (particularly when he doesn't have TV time limits to work with), stays on task in terms of registering emotions and looking like he's trying to win, and never wrestles like he's bigger than he is. The thing about Lio is that he's quite possibly PSYCHOLOGICALLY INCAPABLE OF WORKING CORPORATE, WEEKLY TV. And that's OK! Not everybody's cut from that sort of mental cloth. Enjoy Lio Rush as a top-tier indie globetrotter and maybe he won't be one of the most underrated guys in the game when it's all said and done."

[10.0] "Gets way too much hate for having normal struggles in life, Lio Rush is fantastic. Sure, his voice may not be the most pleasing to hear, but he is the definition of fast-paced wrestling. What he doesnt have in size more than makes up for in speed and creativity. One of my favorites in the world right now."

[8.0] "Talented and underrated wrestler. He has charisma and his in ring skills and his selling is amazing, he can show a lot of unique and cool things and i love his Frog Splash"

[10.0] "Lio is one of my favorite modern high flyers. He has the perfect amount of charisma to work as both a face and a heel. When it comes to the mic the dude can TALK."

[8.0] "Lio's a heavily underrated, especially with regards to his CAGEMATCH rating and impressive professional wrestler. Love his move set, and his precision is quite unmatched with others in the ring. Haven't seen a lot of his matches as a singles wrestler, but in tags he just so clearly shines above the rest."

[9.0] "He is soooooooooo good, and I think its great the he is finally out of the toxic American pro wrestling scene for his own mental health, he is gonna be something in New Japan."

[10.0] "One of the best talents to come to wrestling in the last decade. I love everything Lio has done from his in ring work to on the mic. The dude is extremely versatile and can do sooo many things well. The only thing that seems to get in his way is his health at this point. Any retirement jokes or rumors he's "hard to work with" have always felt dorky especially considering who we let come back to wrestling when they aren't nearly as talented. Will always love this guy"

[7.0] "Lio Rush is a super quick wrestler and is very impressive. Despite this there has always been inconsistencies with Lio as a performer. Wish him all of the best."

[8.0] "It's a shame he seems to get in his own way so often as a person because he really is an impressive talent. He's a great talker and personality for his level of experience and a great high-flyer who can bump his ass off (ridiculous cases of no-selling aside). Even if his size was too much of an issue, he could have been an excellent heel manager both with his personality and his ability to bump so hard."

[8.0] "He's pretty awesome. Has a fiery flow, is serious, can do great stuff in the ring. He plays his character very well. He's small but wrestles like he's a small guy. Now if he could stop Aries-ing his way across promotions, that'd be swell."

[4.0] "Whenever he talks, he's just obnoxious and still sounds like a heel, so what is even the point of being a face' On top of that, his matches are just uninspired and nothing worth watching. But yes, I agree, his worst aspect is his lack of selling, it detracts so much from the match and I just stop watching at that point. And given how small he is, it makes no sense how people sell his moves like a Kenta strike or a slam from Strowman. I just don't think he's anything special and it seems the hype on him has passed."

[7.0] "I do like Lio Rush and think he's extremely talented at what he does. The problem with him is what's levelled a lot at the likes of Bret Hart and Ric Flair - he's his own biggest fan. In the age of content as king, he overdoes it, and his attitude has got him into trouble quite a few times in the past. There's no problem with backing yourself, especially if others won't, but to the extent he does is pretty overbearing. Still a good score despite that though."

[7.0] "Honestly, I like Lio Rush. He's great in the ring and his promo skills are top notch. However, his ego and attitude dragged him down a peg, especially with Vince McMahon apparently being a big fan of his. If he got his ego in check, then he would have been in way bigger star in WWE. I liked his duet with Bobby Lashley as they had great chemistry together and I liked his NXT Cruiserweight Title reign, as short as it was. It seemed like his time in NXT humbled him a bit in my opinion. Now he's doing better in GCW where he had one more great match with Joey Janela. Lio is set to make his debut in MLW and NJPW soon and I wish nothing but the best for him. 7/10 seems fair in retrospect. I can't score him any higher than this."

[5.0] "Decent in the ring, but devoid of anything else that could make him a star. He's got no sense of ring psychology or selling, usually recovering after offence with little sense of pacing or actual impact: he recovers from anything like he just stubbed his toe, and any limb work he shrugs off and does his normal high flying moveset without any sense of trouble. Sure he's got some cool moves, but I honestly can't stand his style of working as it's unhealthy not only physically (wrecks the body, hence why guys like Ospreay, despite his young age, is ridden with surgeries and had to ground his style) but also business wise: it's not gonna take you beyond the indies. Rush's size and lack of mass means that he really doesn't realistically pose a challenge to anyone, even with his super kick spamming and weak attempts at copying Strong Style without any of the nuance or experience required to do it properly. Rush has some good matches, but they are all with people far more talented than him and who can pace around his nonsensical style. His WWE run was promising at first, but apparently his mouth and ego got him in deep water before he could start going. Apparently he's retired, but he's likely to eventually bounce back at some point: hopefully when he does he takes his time and doesn't go full steam ahead again, because it's not going to get him anywhere fast."

[6.0] "Well, he is so overrated. His work on mic and ring isn't that impressive how people talk about him. His is just an average wrestler with just an average skills."

[6.0] "There is something there with Lio, but I don't think he's ever been used correctly. More often than not he has the video game-style matches that I'm not very fond of. If he toned it down a notch or two & learned how to sell, I think he'd be a much better performer."

[7.0] "This guy is incredibly talented for someone his age, but his attitude and the way he presents himself is seriously damaging his career. Unless Lio himself realises this, the best years will have already been behind him."

[10.0] "Lio Rush, the Man of the Hour, brought Bobby Lashley's career back from the DEAD! Absolute gold on the mic and solid in the ring, would love to see him compete more though, because his match against Balor a couple of weeks ago was really fun. Rating: 12 but I can only go up to 10 sooooo"

[9.0] "This guy is becoming one of the most interesting on television to me. His quick-wittedness on the microphone is great and he has done wonders for Bobby Lashley if you ask me. He needs to ascend the ranks in 205 Live now that he has proven his worth at Lashley's side. If he does not become the next champion, he should most definitely beat the guy who dethrones Buddy Murphy."

[10.0] "Always an excellent watch on 205 Live, and a great heel manager, He's one the fastest workers they have, and I've grown on him recently on his mic skills."

[6.0] "He's quick and has some charisma but his mic work still needs a lot of polishing and his in ring ability still needs tuning. He's young though, so 205 Live should be the perfect place for him to hone his skills."

[9.0] "lio rush was my favorite Ring of honor wrestler back in the day and I'm very happy to se him in wwe on 205 live He is a very fun wrestler to watch in the ring I really recommend to watch Lio rush if you have not seen him yet."

[6.0] "He is athletic and can if led by the right (capable) person do a quality match. Has some problems if the match is not led or not a spotfest, his weaknesses become more visible then. He has without doubt significant talent, if he can set his mind right he can likely make it to the main roster."

[5.0] "Now, i can rate this guy after watching him for enough time. I admit i am not much impressed even when he was on the indies. He shows that he is not much but a spot monkey. A typical indy movefest. I agree that he has some really good matches ( with ricochet, keith lee, trevor lee for instance ), but i can't connect fully to him. Sometimes, he tries to cosplay japanese strong style by no selling or kicking out at 1, which is pretty annoying. Additionally, he just made jokes about emma's release, which does not help much. My rating will rise and i give him a chance."

[7.0] "Well, it's been a while since I graded Lio Rush and I think it's safe to say, he deserves to be bumped up to a 7 from my initial 6. Like I said before, he wrestles like a pro and has adapted to the main stage tremendously. However, the difference between about a year ago and now is that he's trying to make a name for himself in CZW with a unique character, which is something that wrestling sorely needs more of. It's in its infancy stage right now but I'm intrigued with what he has to offer."

[8.0] "Lio Rush is very young, yet already capable of main eventing major shows, he works well with a lot of people, his matches and charisma are great, and Lio Rush is setting himself up as the future of wrestling."

[7.0] "This worker is very great and can work a good match, and he can sell a move when he's matched up with powerhouses like Matt Riddle and Ethan Page! I'm surprised that the wwe hasn't called him up to be in the cruiserweight Classic!"

[7.0] "Lio Rush is a fresh-faced up and coming highflyer who has already had some impressive showings in his short career (only three years in currently) in CZW, EVOLVE and now ROH with a deserving win of the 2016 Top Prospect Tournament. I'm definitely interested to see what a few more years of experience does for him."

[8.0] "Everyone on this site rating him so low... is quite unfair. Rush is far from a complete package. But what people see in Rush is great potential. Dude's been wrestling for about 3 years. He's no Will Ospreay, not that level of prodigy. But he's got great potential, that much is obvious. He's gotten exposure before he's ready and so people are punishing him for that on this site. I expect a bunch of these rating to be edited in 3-4 years."