Various: Lio Rush on Working in NJPW, Konnan Health & Kidney Transplant Search Update, Indies

Dec 28, 2022

Lio Rush Comments on His Current Run in NJPW

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s official website held a recent interview with YOH and Lio Rush. One of the topics discussed included YOH and Rush’s thoughts about their recent Super Junior Tag League 2022 tournament victory.

Lio Rush – “I’m feeling a lot of emotions. I feel like this is a moment in my career that I’m very proud of. A real high point for me professionally. I worked so hard for this through injuries and surgeries, and I’m really overwhelmed by emotion. I’m trying to live in the moment, and soak it in because I know in a few weeks, we have the biggest match that the both of us have had in our careers together. So it’s enjoying the moment but also preparing for Wrestle Kingdom.”
YOH – “It was [a long tour. About a month ago I met Lio in New York, and then we were all of a sudden a team for this tag league. I’d won the trophies three times before already, been IWGP Junior Tag Champion, so I had that confidence, but I didn’t know how me and Lio were going to gel as a team, and that was exciting, actually.”

On the topic of if winning the Super Junior Tag League was the biggest moment of his career so far, Rush stated:

“Yes. I’ve always felt like with other big milestones in my career, they’ve come with a bittersweet type of feeling. But coming here to New Japan was something I’d always wanted to do even before I signed with WWE. So I feel much more fulfilled, and I accomplished something that was my destiny. I’ve always felt I wanted a partner to go through the same things I do in the business, and I’m glad I’ve found that with YOH. I think we’ve gained a strong friendship and mutual respect, and these trophies are a testament to how strong our bond is.”

Rush also gave his thoughts about working with YOH and his current time in NJPW.

“I have experience with different tag partners through my career, but I’ve never experienced a bond like I have with YOH. My other teams didn’t last very long, but I think that comes down to me not really knowing who I was fully. Coming into NJPW has awakened something in me that I’ve been looking for for a long time.”

Konnan Health & Kidney Transplant Search Status Update

As noted before, Konnan is currently suffering from kidneys-related issues due to complications from a bout he had with COVID-19 earlier this year.

A recent episode of the Keepin’ It 100 podcast featured co-host Konnan providing an update on the status of his health and on-going search for a compatible kidney donor. Konnan also revealed that WWE’s Dominik Mysterio and his sister Aalyah recently offered one of their own kidneys for a potential transplant.

“I was in terrible shape. This is the worst year that I’ve ever been in. This was a great year for me professionally, but health wise, it was the worst year of my life. There were two times this year where I honestly thought, you know, just being very honest, and I don’t really talk too much about myself that I was going to end the year alive. You know, I was very weak, very weak, really bad shape, despondent, sad, skinny. I lost 70 pounds and just in really bad shape.
I’ll tell you what saved me bro is the fu**ing dialysis. I didn’t want to do it. This is my second kidney replacement. A lot of people think, ‘Oh steroids.’ Well, if it’s steroids, why don’t more people have kidney problems?
What actually happened is, I was in an extreme match in Tijuana, and a ladder came all the way from the top and I was looking the other way, and it landed and it fu**ing broke my kidney and I didn’t even know it because I just thought it was normal pain.
Not too long ago, I did an angle in AEW with the FTR guys. They gave me this pile driver and I never had time to like, go, because I got there late. We were like second on, and next thing you knew, we were in the trailer and we were going to the fu**ing ring. So they never really showed me how to do the pile driver. So it’s like this weird different pile driver I’d never taken, and when I hit, I went like, holy sh*t. I felt that.
Then for months and months, I was having problems with my back, with my traps, with my ribs, and I just thought it was a pinched nerve. When I finally went to the fu**ing doctor, they were like, ‘No, you have a dislocated shoulder and a cracked rib.’ Bro, that hurt like a mother fu**er.
Same thing with the kidney. When I bursted, when it burst or whatever, I didn’t go to the hospital because you know, Mr. Macho here. Then finally when I had kidney problems, they were like, ‘Bro, your kidneys are so dehydrated, we don’t even know what to tell you.’
The first time I went to get dialysis was one of the worst experiences of my life and I said, ‘There’s no way I’ll ever do this sh*t again.’ Then not too long ago, I was in really bad shape and the doctor said, ‘In one month, your internal organs are going to start shutting down. So it’s up to you. Do you want to do dialysis or not?’ I was like, fu**, and then I started it. It’s been incredible. It’s been an incredible experience. They clean your blood. I didn’t have iron. That’s why I was so fu**ing weak. They put iron into your body, and they put phosphorus and all the other elements that your body isn’t producing or filtering anymore, the dialysis machine does it for you.
It’s an ongoing thing to get a fu**ing kidney donor. I actually have seven people from the show, and believe it or not bro, this is beautiful, do you know who offered me their kidney? Dominik and Aalyah, both.”

Transcript h/t: WrestlingNews.co

Misc. Wrestling News & Notes

This past Monday was the second year anniversary of the passing of Brodie Lee, also known as Luke Harper in WWE. AEW, BT Sport, Alex Reynolds, and others from around the wrestling industry paid tribute to Lee’s life and legacy on social media.

As noted before, Impact Wrestling recently announced that this week’s Impact! show will be a “Best of 2022” themed special featuring the reveal of the winner’s for this year’s Year End Awards. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that besides the themed special, Impact will also be airing a few new promo segments to move along some of their current storylines into the new year.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that Josh Alexander is currently set to break the record for longest ever reign for an Impact World Champion at 257 days on January 4, 2023.

West Coast Pro Wrestling recently announced that Lita will be making an appearance for the company at their West Coast Best Coast event on March 4, 2023 in San Fransisco, California. It was also announced that Lita will be presenting the first ever WCPW Women’s Championship belt at the event.

Westside Xtreme Wrestling recently announced that Francesco Akira, Maggot, and Peter Tihanyi are next official entrants for their 16 Carat Gold 2023 tournament, which takes place on March 10-12, 2023 in Oberhausen, Germany.

Ganryujima recently announced that New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Hiroshi Tanahashi will be making an appearance at their INOKI BOM-BA-YE x Ganryujima event on December 28th in Tokyo, Japan. It was announced that Tanahashi will be the guest commentator for the Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tom Lawlor match at the event.

New Japan Pro Wrestling recently announced that Tama Tonga was the winner of this year’s Concurso bodybuilding competition. It was also announced that Tonga won with 1,487 fan votes, followed by DOUKI at 1,183 votes and YOH at 944 votes.

NJPW recently announced a new match for the card of their New Year’s Dash 2023 event on January 5, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan:

King of Pro Wrestling 2023 Championship – TBA (the four remaining participants of the New Japan Ranbo match at Wrestle Kingdom 17)

Game Changer Wrestling recently announced a new match for the card of their Til Infinity New Year’s Eve event on December 31st in Atlantic City, New Jersey:

El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Joey Janela

Major League Wrestling recently announced a new match for the card of their Blood & Thunder 2023 event on January 7, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

Billington Bulldogs (Todd & Mark Billington) vs. BOMAYE Fight Club (Myron Reed & Mr. Thomas)