Lio Rush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lio Rush |
|
|---|---|
Rush in 2024
|
|
| Birth name | Lionel Gerard Green |
| Born | November 11, 1994 Lanham, Maryland, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) |
Sarah Lai Wah
(m. 2018) |
| Children | 3 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) |
|
| Billed height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Billed weight | 160 lb (73 kg) |
| Billed from | Washington, D.C. |
| Debut | November 2014 |
Lionel Gerard Green (born November 11, 1994) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is best known by his ring name, Lio Rush. A ring name is a special name wrestlers use when they perform.
Lio Rush currently works for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and its sister company, Ring of Honor (ROH). He also makes special appearances for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He has wrestled for other big companies like Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Impact Wrestling. In these places, he won the Impact X Division Championship and the MLW World Middleweight Championship. He also wrestled in Mexico for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) as a character called Aracno.
Rush also spent time in WWE, where he made history as the youngest NXT Cruiserweight Champion. He was also the manager for famous wrestler Bobby Lashley. Before WWE, he was known for his time in Ring of Honor (ROH), where he won the 2016 Top Prospect Tournament. He also competed in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), winning the CZW World Heavyweight Championship once and the CZW Wired Championship twice.
Contents
- Early Life and Start
- Professional Wrestling Journey
- Music Career
- Other Appearances
- Personal Life
- Championships and Accomplishments
- See also
Early Life and Start
Lionel Green was born on November 11, 1994. His parents were both gospel singers. He grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler since he was five years old. When he was younger, Green faced some tough times with his feelings and thoughts.
Professional Wrestling Journey
Starting Out (2014–2017)
Lio Rush began his wrestling career in November 2014. He first used the name "LI Green," but then changed it to "Lennon Duffy." He trained at the MCW Training Center. He formed a tag team called "Sudden Impact" with Patrick Clark, who later joined WWE.
On July 18, 2015, Lio Rush won the Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup XV. This was a big win early in his career. On October 3, he and Patrick Clark won the MCW Tag Team Championship. He also wrestled for other promotions like Evolve Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. On May 27, 2017, he won the HOG Crown Jewel Championship at House of Glory.
& Lio Rush at a Destiny Wrestling show in Mississauga, ON in 2016.
Combat Zone Wrestling (2014–2017)
Lio Rush, then known as Lennon Duffy, first appeared in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) on December 31, 2014. He later changed his name to "Lio Rush" and started a rivalry with Joey Janela. On December 12, 2015, he won the CZW Wired TV Championship from Janela. He lost the title back to Janela on February 13, 2016. However, he won the CZW Wired Championship again on March 26, 2016.
On May 13, 2017, Rush achieved a major goal by winning the CZW World Heavyweight Championship. This was a very important title in CZW. He held the title for 17 days before losing it. Lio Rush wrestled his final match in CZW on August 5, 2017.
Ring of Honor (2015–2017)
Lio Rush first tried out for Ring of Honor (ROH) six months after starting his wrestling career. He wasn't signed then because he didn't have much experience. After gaining more experience, he tried again and was signed to compete in the 2016 Top Prospect Tournament.
Rush made his ROH debut on December 19, 2015. He went on to win the 2016 Top Prospect Tournament, which was a big achievement. On March 31, ROH announced that Lio Rush had officially signed a contract with them. He challenged for the ROH World Championship but was unsuccessful. In March 2017, Lio Rush decided to leave ROH.
WWE (2017–2020)
NXT and 205 Live (2017–2018)
On July 9, 2017, it was reported that Lio Rush would be joining NXT, which is WWE's development brand. WWE officially confirmed his signing on August 21. He made his first TV appearance on NXT on October 4, where he was attacked by his former tag team partner, Velveteen Dream.
In June 2018, Lio Rush moved to WWE's main roster and joined the cruiserweight division on 205 Live. He quickly started a winning streak, showing off his skills.
Working with Bobby Lashley (2018–2019)
On September 17, 2018, Lio Rush became the "hype man" and manager for Bobby Lashley on Raw. He helped Lashley become a more aggressive character. Rush played a key role in helping Bobby Lashley win his first Intercontinental Championship. Rush distracted Lashley's opponents, allowing Lashley to win the title.
After the Royal Rumble, Rush and Lashley started a rivalry with Finn Bálor. At Elimination Chamber, Lio Rush was pinned by Finn Bálor, which caused Lashley to lose his Intercontinental Championship. After this, Lashley attacked Rush. However, Rush later helped Lashley win the Intercontinental Championship back from Bálor. After WrestleMania 35 in April 2019, Lio Rush took a break from WWE.
NXT Cruiserweight Champion (2019–2020)
Lio Rush returned to NXT on September 18, 2019, as a fan favorite. He defeated Oney Lorcan to become the top challenger for the Cruiserweight Championship. On October 9, Lio Rush successfully captured the title, which was now called the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. This was a big moment for him.
He successfully defended his title at Survivor Series in a special match against Akira Tozawa and Kalisto. He also kept his title against Akira Tozawa on November 27. However, on December 11, Lio Rush lost his title to Angel Garza, ending his reign after 63 days. He tried to win the title back in February 2020 but was unsuccessful.
On April 15, 2020, Lio Rush was released from his WWE contract.
Back to Independent Wrestling (2020–2021)
After leaving WWE, Lio Rush began wrestling for many independent promotions, like Game Changer Wrestling. In November 2020, he signed a contract with Major League Wrestling (MLW). He also took part in New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Super J-Cup tournament.
On January 6, 2021, Lio Rush won the MLW World Middleweight Championship by defeating Myron Reed. One month later, he also won the AAA World Cruiserweight Championship in Mexico, becoming a double champion. However, this AAA title win was not officially recognized in Mexico.
All Elite Wrestling (2021–2022)
On May 30, 2021, Lio Rush made a surprise appearance for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) at their Double or Nothing event. He was part of a special match called the Casino Battle Royale. After this, he announced he had a shoulder injury and thought about retiring from wrestling.
However, Lio Rush decided not to retire and officially signed with AEW on September 29, 2021. He made his debut on AEW Dynamite on November 10, 2021, teaming with Dante Martin. On January 22, 2022, Rush announced that his AEW contract would end on February 14, 2022, and he became a free agent again.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2021–present)
Lio Rush first appeared in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) at the Super J-Cup. He later teamed up with Yoh to win the Super Junior Tag League in 2022. This earned them a match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 17.
At Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4, 2023, Rush and Yoh were not able to win the tag team titles. On March 21, Rush challenged for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship but lost. In April 2023, he competed in the Best of the Super Juniors 30 tournament, where he performed very well.
Impact Wrestling (2023)
On March 30, 2023, Lio Rush made his debut for Impact Wrestling at their Multiverse United event. He returned to Impact Wrestling on June 23, teaming with Nick Aldis. On June 30, it was announced that Rush would challenge Chris Sabin for the Impact X Division Championship at Slammiversary. Lio Rush won the match and became the Impact X Division Champion for the first time! He successfully defended the title at Victory Road. However, at Impact 1000, he lost the title back to Chris Sabin, which was his last appearance for the company.
Return to AEW (2024–present)
On May 29, 2024, Lio Rush returned to AEW on Dynamite for the first time since 2021. He competed in a special match to earn a shot at the AEW World Championship. On June 21, it was reported that Lio Rush would be a regular part of AEW going forward. He teamed up with Dante Martin and Action Andretti. On October 12, Lio Rush officially announced that he had signed with AEW.
In December 2024, Lio Rush and Action Andretti defeated Top Flight, earning a future chance at the AEW World Tag Team Championship. On January 4, 2025, Rush and Andretti tried to win the tag team titles but were unsuccessful. On January 18, Rush and Andretti attacked Top Flight, showing a change in their alliance.
Return to ROH (2024–present)
On July 20, 2024, Lio Rush returned to ROH after seven years. He competed in a Six-Man Survival of the Fittest Elimination Match for the ROH World Television Championship but was unsuccessful. On January 2, 2025, Rush and Action Andretti won a tag team match in ROH.
Music Career
Besides wrestling, Lio Rush is also a musician. In July 2019, he released his first song as a rapper, called "Scenic Lullaby." He said the song was about his own difficult experiences. On August 19, he released his second song, "I Wonder."
On his 25th birthday, Lio Rush released his first extended play (EP), titled 11:11. An EP is like a mini-album with a few songs. On May 11, 2020, he released his first full studio album, Ever After. He released his second studio album, The Final Match, on July 20, 2020. In September 2021, he released another EP called Not Found.
Other Appearances
Lio Rush appeared in the video game WWE 2K19 as a downloadable character.
In 2020, Lio Rush was a contestant on MTV's reality TV show The Challenge. He left the show early, explaining that the stress of the competition brought back difficult feelings from his childhood.
Personal Life
Lionel Green lives in Los Angeles, California. He is married to Sarah Lai Wah, and they have three sons. He has several tattoos, including one on his stomach that is a poem written by his mother for his brother, Lorenzo, who passed away at a young age.
Championships and Accomplishments
Lio Rush has won many championships and awards in his wrestling career:
- Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide
- AAA World Cruiserweight Championship (1 time, though not officially recognized in Mexico)
- Combat Zone Wrestling
- CZW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- CZW Wired Championship (2 times)
- DDT Pro-Wrestling
- Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship (1 time)
- House of Glory
- HOG Crown Jewel Championship (1 time)
- Major League Wrestling
- MLW World Middleweight Championship (1 time)
- Impact Wrestling
- Impact X Division Championship (1 time)
- Maryland Championship Wrestling / MCW Pro Wrestling
- MCW Rage Championship (1 time)
- MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Patrick Clark
- Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup (2015, 2016)
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- Super Jr. Tag League (2022) – with Yoh
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 53 among the top 500 singles wrestlers in 2021 by PWI 500
- Revolution Pro Wrestling
- British J-Cup (2024)
- Ring of Honor
- Top Prospect Tournament (2016)
- Tigers Pro Wrestling
- TPW Proud Championship (1 time)
- WWE
- NXT Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
- WWE United Kingdom Championship invitational (2018)
See also
In Spanish: Lio Rush para niños
