Ring of Honor world champion RUSH spoke with Sports Illustrated ahead of tonight’s Final Battle pay per view, where he’ll be defending his title against Brody King in the evening’s main event. Highlights are below.
What it means to be in the main event for ROH Final Battle:
There have been so many challenges these past few months during the pandemic. Personally, I have been recovering from a chest injury. Now I am coming back to pay-per-view and defending the championship against a rival, Brody King, without an audience. That is difficult, but not impossible. Wrestling without an audience is different, so that will be something new for me, but I feed off pressure. Brody King has been wrestling and I haven’t, but I have not stopped thinking about this match and this moment. It was what consumed my mind all this time away from Ring of Honor, and I will be ready to deliver greatness on pay-per-view.
The hardest part of the pandemic for him:
The biggest part for me is making sure that my family is safe. We have been very careful to make sure we did not infect ourselves or anyone else with this strong virus. My family is my priority. The pandemic is terrible, and many people are hurting. The good thing about the pandemic for me was my family—my wife and son. I have had a lot of time to be with them, and I enjoy being with them more and more every day. Before the virus, I worked and traveled almost daily throughout Mexico and the United States. Now I have more time with my family, and I am grateful that we are together. We are healthy, and I thank God because they are the most important people to me in the world.
What he respects the most about Brody King:
I respect him, but neither Brody King nor any other fighter impresses or intimidates me. This isn’t just my work, this is my life. I have faced off with the best in the world, and I have wrestled for companies like New Japan Pro Wrestling, CMLL, AAA and the independents across Mexico. No matter where I am, I always believe I am the best wrestler. Brody King is not going to change that. He may be a very good wrestler, but Brody King is not me. I am greatness. I’ll finish him, and I will continue demonstrating why the world needs to focus on “El Toro Blanco.” I am going to show the world what it means to be part of La Facción Ingobernable.
The most challenging part of wrestling for no fans:
Never in my life have I wrestled without a crowd. Honestly, it is not the same. The people in the crowd are the most important thing in wrestling. They demand the best out of you, they inject adrenaline into your veins, and magically they make your injuries and pains disappear when you are in the ring. The people make wrestling so special. But I am a professional and I know that people are looking for a great match on pay-per-view, so that is what I will give them.
Whether he’ll one day be standing across from his brother Dragon Lee:
My brother is very talented and will be champion for a long time, just like me. But we will never turn against one another and we will never wrestle each other. That will not happen. We don’t fight one another. La Facción Ingobernable is stronger than ever, and we have a surprise for everyone. Our goal is to win all the championships in Ring of Honor. My brother is going to have an amazing year in 2021, and he’ll show that he is one of the greatest wrestlers in the world.
Whether he’ll remain with ROH in 2021:
Ring of Honor is my home. This is the house of La Facción Ingobernable. I have many goals and unfinished business in Ring of Honor, plus matches in New Japan Pro Wrestling and in Mexico that are also very important to me. I am waiting for this virus to be controlled in 2021, and then people will see the best of Rush and La Facción Ingobernable.