This is a glass panel right here, I don’t hold anything back and I think that’s what a champion is, and I want to be the first African-American world champion in AEW.” I think I have the mic skills, I think that I have the in-ring capability, I think that I’m a pretty personable and likable person. I want to be that for everybody, and I think that I can be that. Wrestling aside, to see someone like myself move the way that I move in life and inspire the people who look like me is a beautiful thing. I think that’s a good role model, just in life. And he did it through the face of adversity.’ Because I’ve had some ups and downs in my career, and I’ve showed time and time again that I’m not someone who’s going to just lay down and give up on my passion and my dreams. I want to be that guy that everybody is looking at and say ‘Man, he did it. “If I’m not ready for something, I’ll say I’m not ready for something. I think that has opened up doors for a lot of people, but I want to be a world champion. So the path that I was going, I was creating. At the time, when I was a wrestling fan, there wasn’t a short, Black, tattooed, dread-head guy who likes music from D.C. “I didn’t have too many good examples of someone who can set the blueprint for somebody like me. “Representation, it changes lives,” said Rush. Given how long the average AEW world title reign lasts (258 days), and with so-called “pillars” such as MJF, Darby Allin, Jungle Boy, Hangman Adam Page, Bryan Danielson, CM Punk and Orange Cassidy projecting to become world champions in the near future, it could be years-if not over a decade-before AEW sees its first Black world champion.Īlways one to overcome the odds, Rush not only feels he is the man for the job, he believes he’d make a fitting, if not important, representative as a Black world champion. AEW publicly prioritized diversity and inclusion prior to opening its doors. But if it goes the way that you want it to go-and I’m sure a lot of other people who are watching it currently-I think it would be really cool to have all three of us together, that would be pretty dope.”Īs AEW continues to establish itself as a top national wrestling promotion, it has had growing pains when it comes to diversity, namely when it comes to Black wrestlers. Whenever Darius comes back and he’s all healed up, who knows? Who knows what’s going to happen within that time. “That’s definitely an exciting idea,” said Rush. Trios titles or not, Rush and Top Flight have all the ingredients to rewrite the book of the six-man tag team, and Rush is here for it. AEW recently introduced the TBS Championship, a secondary women’s title that will debut in January 22, and even top star CM Punk questioned whether the promotion has the depth for more titles. Fans have clamored for an AEW Trios Championship given the promotion’s depth when it comes to stables and/or triads. ![]() Martin’s brother Darius is currently out with injury, however his impending return could give way to the most exciting trios team in all of pro wrestling. I’m glad that I could be that person for Dante as early as he is in his career. I had help when I was younger, but I didn’t have someone coaching me and taking me step-by-step and telling me what their experience was. I’ve seen so much of myself in him when I was his age and he is even better than I was when I was his age. So it’s pretty cool that it’s come full circle and I’m working with Dante in AEW. “I actually met his brother when I was in Ring of Honor and he went to the show as a fan, as a teenager. “I’ve always had my interest in working with Dante,” said Rush. But now healthy in both his mind and body, Rush finds himself in a mentorship role after taking the uber-talented Dante Martin under his wing. Though Rush was battling a painful shoulder injury, he admits that the decision was just as much physical as it was mental. Rush debuted in AEW at the AEW Double or Nothing Casino Battle Royale as The Joker before promptly retiring. I was a two-time All-American amateur wrestler, I’ve played football, I’ve played basketball and baseball, so I just have a very competitive spirit and nature about me so I’m glad that I’m there.” “It has such a real-life sport and competitive aspect to it, and that’s where I come from. I was like, ‘this is that push that I needed.’” ![]() When I got released from WWE, and New Japan reached out to me, I was so excited. I think I was always supposed to be in New Japan, at least I always wanted to be in New Japan before I was in WWE, but I just so happened to make it to WWE first. I feel like New Japan just has that aura about it that everybody wants to be there because it’s so respected and the wrestlers are there for a reason. ![]() “The history, and the amount of respect it has from viewers, people who are fans and people who are wrestlers. “New Japan is such an incredible place,” said Rush.
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