Big E praised Lio Rush’s commitment to his Blackheart character on Westwood One Sports, calling Rush’s willingness to take creative risks something he deeply respects.
“Lio is absolutely committed. He’s a guy that we got to share a locker room with when he was in WWE — he was managing Bobby Lashley. He didn’t really get that opportunity to demonstrate his ability. He’s such an incredible professional wrestler. I know there’s a lot of varying opinions on the gimmick, but I’m all for trying something different, being out of the box, being different,” Big E said.
He continued: “I feel like Lio Rush has had so many different incarnations in his career. He’s a guy where I just salute because he’s done so many different things. He’s still rapping, he’s been just different variations of this character and this idea. I think he’s really a bold performer and I have a ton of respect for people that just take chances. Even if things flop, even if things don’t connect with everyone, you can take chances and do things different.”
Rush debuted the Blackheart persona on the independent circuit before bringing it to AEW.