It’s been a month of speculation regarding the AEW status of the Rush and Dralistico brothers, both of whom have been off television for months. While Rush cryptically noted that he was not injured and: maybe won’t wrestle until 2027Dralistico was less subtle, posting a photo of himself in prison with AI earlier in the weeksuggesting he wants out of AEW. That part may be true and may happen sooner rather than later, as Brian Alvarez of F4Wonline revealed on Tuesday that Dralistico’s AEW contract expires in December, with Alvarez believed to be looking to leave AEW based on Dralistico’s tweets.
When it comes to Rush, however, the situation is a little different. Despite the appearance of Rush’s previous tweets, Alvarez says they are entirely visa-related, as Rush’s visa expired some time ago. Furthermore, Rush’s new visa isn’t scheduled until early 2027, which only confirms that the new year will be the soonest AEW fans will see Rush again. It was then stated that, despite the speculation, Rush is “happy in AEW” by everyone familiar with the situation.
If that’s the case, it would be another case of visa issues affecting AEW plans, as Alvarez’s Wrestling Observer Radio co-host Dave Meltzer previously reported that Ilya Dragunov’s arrival to the promotion had been delayed as he waited for a new visa. Rush himself has dealt with this issue in the past, revealing in early 2024 that his absence from television for the first part of the year was; with a combination of injury recovery and visa issues.
Opinion: Dralistico leaving AEW is best for him, AEW and Rush
Having watched and followed the careers of Rush and Dralistico dating back to when I started following CMLL in 2015, I find this whole situation annoying, exhausting, and possibly the first part of a situation that will only get more annoying. But assuming no twists are in the offing, it looks like Dralistico will be leaving AEW sooner rather than later, while Rush will stick around. If that’s the case, then all I can do is sit here and say, kudos! Dralistico leaving AEW is not only the best move for him, it’s the best move for AEW and frankly the best move for his older brother if he hopes to become a more consistent presence on AEW TV.
Now to be clear; I’m not a big fan of Dralistico and I don’t go back to his days where he was Mistico’s replacement in CMLL. There’s some talent there, but he’s always been wildly inconsistent, even in his prime, he does things that other luchadors do much better, and I think he’s kind of been an anchor for Rush because Dralistico doesn’t work without being paired with Rush. So his departure doesn’t hurt AEW, and Dralistico going to AAA or Mexican Indies could be what gives him new life. It also frees Rush to go out and be Rush, who, when motivated, is one of the most dynamic and exciting luchadors in the world. Of course, there’s no guarantee that Rush won’t get burned anyway (he’s inherently unstable), nor is there a guarantee that he’ll get the continued AEW push he’s looking for. But ultimately, if the idea is that Dralistico leaves and Rush stays, then that seems like a positive for both of them to me, and for AEW, which now no longer has to worry about pairing Rush with a guy they never seemed to have much interest in.
