When Lio Rush arrived in AEW as the joker entrant of the Double or Nothing Casino Battle Royal, it felt special. Rush was incredibly hot due to his time in MLW, GCW, CZW, and Ring of Honor, and even if he's flirted with retirement in the past, the prospects of adding the “Man of the Hour” to an AEW ring just made sense if for no other reason than for the exciting opportunities it presented inside the ring.

Rush versus Rey Fenix, Rush versus PAC, heck, throw Rush, and either of those performers – or his eventual friend, Dante Martin – against The Young Bucks and see some of the best high-flying efforts you will ever see in a wrestling ring.

… but before the match could even come to an end, Rush was out with an injury, and his in-ring experience in AEW was limited to just five matches, including just one singles match that took place on AEW Dark. Had Rush remained in the promotion, maybe it would have been different but between the, shall we say, awkward interaction between Big Swole and Tony Khan and a brutal injury he suffered at the hands of Buddy Matthews at PWG's Battle of Los Angeles 2022, the timing just wasn't right; Rush let his contract expire back in February, and he has mostly stayed away from wrestling as a result.

So naturally, when Rush made an unannounced appearance at GCW's No Signal In The Hills 2, it was newsworthy, as you can see from this very story.

Though Rush didn't wrestle, he joined the commentary team for his hometown show, put over Blake Christian in a way only former combatants can, and kept his name fresh in the wrestling world, even if he's reportedly not even close to making a return from his separated shoulder according to Fightful. File this one under interesting, wrestling fans.