Lio Rush Turned Down Multi-Year WWE Contract in Range of $300,000, Reportedly Asked for More, Additional Details on Backstage Incidents

– PWInsider has an update on the developing Lio Rush story and Rush apparently having heat on him from WWE officials, which has led to Rush being taken off TV and being in the doghouse. Rush later responded to the rumors in an interview with Fightful and denied them. However, he did claim that there is someone backstage in WWE who wants him fired.

According to the new PWInsider report, WWE is rumored to have offered Lio Rush a five-year deal that was said to be “in the range of” about $300,000. It’s not stated if that number is the total or per year. However, Rush reportedly turned the year down and asked for “double that number.” Rush’s current WWE contract is set to expire later in 2020.

The PWInsider report also detailed other backstage incidents involving Rush that led to him having heat in the WWE locker room. At one point, it’s stated that Rush brought a group backstage to a TV taping in 2018, and the group apparently did not have the proper credentials. That group then started yelling loudly at a female member of the WWE security team.

Additionally, when a WWE veteran Superstar approached Rush about these issues, Rush is said to have responded that he works for Vince McMahon and not said unnamed veteran. The report states this was not Finn Balor. As previously reported, there was apparently a backstage incident about Finn Balor giving advice to Lio Rush, and Rush complaining about it to management. PWInsider states that the veteran Superstar was later approached by management after Lio Rush complained about this Superstar speaking down to him.

This incident is what reportedly led to Rush being removed from the locker room for a time during the WWE European tour in November 2018. After that, Rush’s issues became less of an occurrence until things changed more recently.

In the recent Fightful interview, Lio Rush did complain that despite working in WWE, he was basically walking around broke due to all the road and travel expenses he has to pay for. He stated: “My issue is the fact that I haven’t been on meet & greets with Bobby, haven’t been getting paid for merchandise for us that has my catchphrases on them. (I) have been sent to live shows and TVs and forced to pay for my own rental for 5 days as well as hotel while not making enough money to do so. Walking around broke in the biggest sports entertainment industry that there is while having two kids and a wife to support.”

Additionally, Rush was reportedly told that he’s been removed for WWE’s upcoming European tour in May. He was backstage at Raw for the last two weeks, but he did not appear on TV.