Regal and Triple H dynamic when deciding to hire controversial Rush and Dijak, whose reputations precede them

Lio Rush and Donvan Dijak, who have signed with WWE and reported to the Performance Center this past Monday, both have their share of detractors inside and outside WWE in terms of if they will be with the company long-term.

According to multiple PWTorch sources, Rush had a bad reputation at the Performance Center before. One source said Rush is “arrogant and a know it all.” Another source in WWE said that Rush has no respect, but he feels that Lio will sink or swim when he’s working the small NXT Florida loop. A lot of WWE employees at the Performance Center were surprised Rush got a deal.

One source indicated that Rush is going to have to drop his ego and be willing to learn. WWE is big on having Performance Center recruits watch matches, which was something that Rush wasn’t known for during his time in ROH, as he would often spend a lot of time on his phone instead of watching and learning from others.

Sources indicate that both Dijak and Rush have issues when it comes to social media. One source indicated that Dijak’s tweets often get the eye roll reaction when they are read. According to one source, Dijak can come across as strange and rub people the wrong way. Another source that worked closely with Dijak in the past indicated that he doesn’t listen to advice and always has an answer for why he shouldn’t correct something that he tweeted that he was told he should stop doing. Sources in WWE say Rush and Dijak will be getting social media training at the Performance Center.

Another source pointed out Rush charging small podcasts to do interviews, which was not looked about favorably by those inside WWE. Rush further angered people by trying to justify charging for interview appearances.

Overall, there were a lot of “no’s” when it came time to decide on whether or not to sign Rush. William Regal ultimately was the deciding factor because he’s very high on Rush. Levesque likes to give people with bad reputations a chance to turn things around, which also was a factor in the singing of Dijak and Rush. One source indicated to PWTorch that Paul Levesque leans heavily on Regal when it comes to signing independent and ROH talent, so ultimately if Dijak and Rush don’t work out, the heat will go to Regal.