We figured whatever backstage heat there was on Lio Rush for his ill-timed Asuka joke after Tenille “Emma” Dashwood was released by WWE was over when it became part of his NXT storyline.
Now, that storyline is over. Rush is for the skipping being a major presence on that WWE Network brand for a role on another. As announced on the June 5 episode, Rush will become a part of the cruiserweight division and join the 205 Live roster “soon”:
It’s a move which a few months ago folks might have joked was a demotion (I honestly resisted the urge to joke headline this post as “Lio Rush’s punishment continues as he’s sent to 205 Live”). Honestly, it still might be. The Tuesday night show has been routinely entertaining and occassionally spectacular since Enzo Amore’s release and the arrival of DRAKE MAVERICK as an authority figure. Its streamlined storytelling lets the performers’ natural strengths shine. It should be a great showcase for Rush, as it has been for Buddy Murphy, Hideo Itami, Mustafa Ali, Cedric Alexander and others.
205 Live is still the least buzzed about WWE brand, however. And with it having been largely removed from Raw at a time when pay-per-view (PPV) space is at a premium, it seems the company is content to let it sink or swin on its own merits.
Those merits will be evident to wrestling fans who have another hour to squeeze into their weekly schedule, but those schedules are packed these days. Can the cruiserweights attract sports entertainment and casual audiences?
Maybe Rush, and the shoot hip-hop career he’s launched which seems to be influencing his gimmick, will help.
The young man’s out of the doghouse, and we’re about to find out.