Lio Rush Opens Up About His Battle With Mental Illness

Lio Rush tells a story in the ring with his wrestling. And he tells a story outside of the ring with his music. During his break from WWE in 2019 over reported backstage issues, Lio turned to music to express what he was going through at the time. 

Speaking on the Swerve City Podcast, Lio discussed his music and how it’s helped him battle with mental illness. 

“The project is based around mental illness, which I’ve been pretty open about. I figured this was the perfect time, because my situation is so sensitive, I wanted to show people ‘Hey, even though I am going through this, I can prevail and overcome all these demons that come into my life every day.’ I feel like that was the perfect time to be an inspiration to a lot of people that looked up to me and also an inspiration to people that weren’t as fond to me,” he said.

When asked how he’s able to cope with his mental illness, Lio replied, “Being honest with yourself is first and foremost. Knowing that there’s something wrong, knowing there is help out there. Being willing and open to putting yourself in somebody else’s hands. Being vulnerable is very important. I’ve been dealing with this since I was a teenager. I was so stubborn. Growing up with all sisters and being the only guy in the house, I  needed to be the tough one, not show weakness, and protect everybody else before looking after myself. It got to a point where, I realized, me being the tough guy isn’t going to help me. If anything, it’s going to prolong this and seriously, potentially ruin my life or, I could not live a full life.” 

If you or someone you know is dealing with mental illness, please reach out. You can find more information on how to help by clicking here.

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