And in my third year I became an All-American amateur wrestler.' 'I qualified for state my second year, lost one match.

'When I was in high school, my very first year I made it to National Prep,' Rush said. But while Rush's thoughts always went back to future dreams of success as a pro wrestler, a funny thing happened once he began as an amateur - he got really good, in a hurry.

To be fair, there isn't a direct line from amateur to professional wrestling but there are similar elements centered around discipline and technique that can prove useful. 'I always wanted to be a professional wrestler and I didn't know exactly what path I should take, but listening to commentators always talk about the wrestlers having such accomplished amateur wrestling backgrounds - guys like Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, Shelton Benjamin - gave me a path to follow.' 'I actually got into amateur wrestling because of what I saw on professional wrestling,' Rush said. It all started when he began watching WWE intently in middle school, and by the time Rush started high school, he had a clear path to greatness mapped out in his mind. While the tail end of his story thus far is unlike most, Rush's first impressions of wrestling are familiar. But don't let his accelerated path fool you - he has paid more than enough dues to deserve the position he has earned with Ring of Honor and other promotions on the independent circuit.

Rush, a native of Maryland who was born Lionel Green, recently turned 22 and in just two years of active in-ring competition has made as much of an impression as anyone his age could hope for. It would seem as if there has never been a better time to be a young, hungry upstart. There's also an ease with which fans can access content digitally and more opportunities for wrestlers to market themselves on social media. The reasons are clear: There are more viable wrestling schools in operation and a higher volume of shows are taking place around the world. There's an undeniable youth movement going on in the world of independent wrestling as young performers are becoming stars at a quicker pace than ever before. Stardom in sight for Ring of Honor's Lio Rush You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser

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