In a shocking sequence of events, one of Mexico’s hottest star, Rush, is officially a member of Ring of Honor. The news came after a tweet by ROH this afternoon. The company posted a video of Rush saying:
“To fans worldwide. The Main Man of Los Ingobernables, El Toro Blanco Rush, has a major announcement for fans worldwide. I’m returning one more time, but not for just one date. I’m returning to stay. I’m returning to be the biggest star in ROH. I’m going for the biggest heads (biggest names), everyone. Remember one thing, I’m here to stay. My new home is called Ring of Honor. Rember it well, whatever happens, happens. In the end, nothing happens dog.”
BREAKING: International star Rush (@rushtoroblanco) has signed an exclusive contract with #RingOfHonor!
Who would YOU like to see Rush compete against in the #ROH ring?? pic.twitter.com/wUtva4KQ6t
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) January 15, 2019
The news came as a surprise since Rush’s main American promotion has been Major League Wrestling. Since 2018, MLW CEO Court Bauer has pushed the leader of the original Los Ingobernables. Moreover, recently, Bauer was giving fans in the US the biggest match in Mexican wrestling right now. Rush was going head-to-head against his nemesis, LA Park. The match was set to take place in April in New York, but, because of the ROH exclusive contract, MLW had to change the match.
In a statement made by Bauer for a press-release of MLW, he stated the following: “This is a match and organization Rush wanted to be a part of but sometimes politics get in the way and that’s what this comes down to politics.” The press-release confirmed the change of the match and the addition of MLW Tag Team Champion Pentagon Jr. The article stated that MLW made an effort to have Rush for that match, but he ” was pulled due to the insistence of a third party promoter.”
ROH Locks Major Talent in the US
The move comes at a time that indie scene and the wrestling business as a whole is booming. Despite companies like IMPACT Wrestling, MLW and others having a fairly liberal policy on letting their talent wrestle for other companies, ROH has been locking down their talent to exclusivity. The Sinclair company has a working agreement with New Japan Pro Wrestling and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, Rush’s home promotion.
MLW had ahead of them the exclusivity between ROH and CMLL. Moreover, CMLL was not exactly pleased that a money match like Rush vs. LA Park was happening first in the US. ROH and MLW have seen the same thing on Rush, pure charisma and a superstar appeal. The LI leader wrestler for MLW in Chicago and was the heart of the show. While in ROH, Rush wrestled the Philadelphia tapings after ROH Final Battle.
The situation points more to ROH using their CMLL relationship as leverage to sign Rush for an exclusive contract. Rush joins Bandido as the main Mexican stars in ROH. Already, Bandido has been getting a lot of exposure in the company and it was reported that ROH’s contract was a better offer that WWE made. Rush is next in line for a major push, and back in 2018, we reported how big 2019 was going to be for the main heel in CMLL.
MLW Loses One of Their Greats
Other than the press-release, MLW hasn’t addressed the signing. Rush was one of their unique stars, that no other major indie promotion was using. The company has shown a great booking when it comes to Lucha Libre. They were responsible for reigniting fans interest in LA Park in the US. The Lucha Brother had a strong year with them and stars like Rey Horus, Aero Star, and Dragon Lee are next for big exposures with them. It remains to be seen if ROH pushes for a signing of Dragon Lee, who is Rush’s brother.
