Speculation had been running wild over who would be the ‘Joker’ entrant in the AEW Casino Battle Royale, but in the end it was Lio Rush who made a stunning debut.
Lio Rush entered the match in typical whirlwind style delivering an array of dazzling offence. After laying out everyone in the match, Rush was eventually eliminated by Matt Hardy.
After enjoying a fine run on the independent scene, Rush signed with WWE in 2017. Despite winning the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, Rush was released in April 2020. Since leaving the company the high flyer has competed in mainly in MLW and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
After debuting in MLW in November 2020, Rush quickly became a double champion, winning both the AAA Middleweight and AAA Cruiserweight Titles.
#LioRush is here!#AEWDoN#CasinoBattleRoyalepic.twitter.com/fzhw0nKj5D
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 31, 2021
The Battle Royale itself was won by Jungle Boy. To the delight of a packed house at Daily’s Place, Jungle Boy eliminated Christian Cage to claim victory.
For much of the match it looked as though Christian Cage would live up to his motto and outwork everyone as he went from bell to bell. Cage was the first man in and came within touching distance of the win before Jungle Boy’s speed and ingenuity propelled him to victory.
The match came to an end after Christian threw Jungle Boy into the ring post on the outside. However, Jungle Boy performed a stunning Tarzan swing around the post before eliminating Cage with his legs.
Jungle Boy will now face the winner of the AEW Championship match between Kenny Omega, PAC and Orange Cassidy.