5 Possibilities for Lio Rush after losing the Cruiserweight Championship

During last night's edition of NXT, Lio Rush and Angel Garza did battle once again for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. In a grueling match, Garza's resiliency proved to be too much for 'The Man of the Hour.' After a losing effort to retain the gold, Rush went to Twitter to apologize to his friends, family, and supporters. Rush promised that he would one day be champion again.

To my fans, family & everyone in the @WWEUniverse who supports me, I apologize if i let you down. I fought with every inch of me. But on this particular night it wasn’t enough. But you better believe I’m coming to collect my title back. @AngelGarzaWwe @WWENXT @WWE
— 11:11 OUT NOW! (@itsLioRush) December 12, 2019

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After the match, Angel Garza successfully proposed to his girlfriend in the middle of the ring. In a matter of 3 seconds he went from hungry contender to your new Cruiserweight Champion. Garza seems to be on top of the world, plain and simple. But where does that leave our former champion?

With WWE's wide variety of brands, there's definitely some thought to be put into what Lio Rush can do next. It will be interesting to see the flexibility of WWE's thinking as to what will happen in the weeks and months to come. Here are 5 possibilities for Lio Rush after losing the Cruiserweight Championship.

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5) Regain the Cruiserweight Championship

Let's get the most obvious possibility out of the way first. Lio Rush could call for a rematch and win the Cruiserweight Championship back in another hard fought battle. He gets the strap, the fans get jaw-dropping entertainment, and everybody wins. It will also add another Cruiserweight Title win to his record.

In the wrestling world, it is often said that if you win a title "x" amount of times, it also means that you lost it "y" amount of times. As Ric Flair and John Cena can attest, "16-time World Champion" just has a certain ring to it that can't be duplicated. This loss could be nothing more than a stepping stone for Lio Rush. If he can manage to win that belt a certain number of times, his name will become synonymous with the Cruiserweight Championship. Then it will be yet another trophy to add to his future legacy.

4) Pursue another title in NXT

While this may be a bit of a stretch, who wouldn't love to see something different like this? Lio Rush could pursue Adam Cole and The Undisputed Era for a chance at the NXT Championship. With everybody in this scenario, love them or hate them, this would undoubtedly be something no one would want to miss.

For the NXT Championship or not, Lio Rush vs Adam Cole would be pure excitement anyway. While not completely ideal right now, putting Rush in the hunt for the NXT Championship can't be TOO far fetched of any idea. If Rey Mysterio can win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in 2006, and if Finn Balor can win the Universal Championship in 2016, then this is definitely possible too.

Rush could also fight for the NXT North American Championship against Roderick Strong and The Undisputed Era with the same effect and outcome. No matter which way you slice it, Rush is meant to have gold around his waist.

3) Go back to 205 Live exclusively

Although not a lot of people watch 205 Live, the product is far from boring. Don't expect anything less than flips and fast-paced action from start to finish every week. For many, it took a lot for them to watch NXT because of a feeling that it would be just like what we see on the main roster, but they were proven wrong.

As soon as you watch the first match on NXT, you're instantly hooked. That's what it's like for 205 Live, as well. NXT and 205 Live are extremely underrated in the sense of unique chemistry inside the squared circle that make for some exceptionally entertaining matches.

Then again, there aren't many people who have the time to watch every single WWE program that comes on. While time may be difficult to come by, don't wait too long to watch because you just might miss 'The Man of The Hour' Lio Rush do what he does best on 205 Live and that would be an absolute shame.

2) Go back to the main roster to pursue a mid-card title

Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura with Sami Zayn

Whether you can see it or not, Lio Rush is solid mid-card material. Remember how many times The Miz won the Intercontinental Championship? He maintained mid-card status and his credibility through the Intercontinental Championship. People like Shinsuke Nakamura have credibility too, but Rush is someone that has a much longer future in wrestling and deserves at least one shot at a mid-card title some time between now and his retirement, whenever that may be.

Seeing Lio Rush as United States Champion or Intercontinental Champion would be fun to watch. It's always cool to see the smaller guy stand up against all the odds thrown his way and come out on top of the mountain as champion. To see that same little guy defend his belt against bigger, stronger opponents and hold his own through the storm would be something to keep fans hot for him for a while.

Having Lio Rush do that on a mid-card level would solidify his position on the main roster and may be one of the things to watch for on SmackDown or RAW.

1) Turn heel

Your favorite heel wrestler wouldn't be your favorite heel wrestler, if it weren't for the fact that they are an evil heel. A nice-guy CM Punk? Nah. A babyface Adam Cole? No way Jose (pun intended). There was a lot of hope for Lio Rush once he aligned himself with Bobby Lashley. For what ever reason, that never worked out, but on the bright side, WWE has never hesitated to have an unlimited amount of turns for Superstars in the past. Just look at Big Show.

Many Superstars are simply better as heels. For example, The Miz, AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, etc are all much better as bad guys. Lio Rush is on that list of names as well. Heels tell it like it is, period. Everybody respects someone who uses honesty despite the opinions of others. For example, whether the CM Punk pipebomb was scripted or not, one thing is for sure, and it's that he told the unfiltered truth and people absolutely adored him for it.

Lio Rush doesn't fit the description of a people-pleasing yes man and his heel run has been a career high point. If Vince McMahon gives him the green light to turn heel, keep your eye on Rush. He is a gold mine in the making.

Edited by Michael McClead