One of the big surprises at last weekend’s AEW Double or Nothing pay per view was the appearance of former NXT crusierweight champion Lio Rush in the Casino Battle Royal matchup, with many speculating whether the cameo from the Man of the Hour would be a one-off, or the first of many. News had surfaced shortly afterwards that Rush had signed with NJPW, and was lent to AEW for the event.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Radio Rush officially signed with NJPW back in April of this year following his run on the independent circuits and MLW. He initially began working for NJPW at last year’s Super J-Cup tournament, and has been a consistent regular on their U.S. based NJPW Strong program. The report adds that Rush’s contract allows him to work for other promotions, including AEW and MLW, but NJPW does have first priority on his schedule.