If you asked any WWE fans what one word comes to mind when they think of Lio Rush, they will almost always respond with "Lashley, Lashley, Lashley."

The Man of the Hour was brought over to Raw from 205 Live to serve as Lashley's mouthpiece and facilitate his heel turn. It was an odd choice when you consider how new Rush was to the main roster at the time.

Not only were his promos grating, but allowing him to chant Lashley's name through a microphone throughout The Almighty's matches did not have the desired response. 

Instead of the chorus of boos WWE was hoping for, the fans responded with complete silence. Japanese crowds show respect through by watching matches quietly and cheering at the end, but when it comes to American wrestling, any kind of noise is better than a quiet crowd.

This partnership has been going on since September 10. Before they were put together, Lashley was feuding with the likes of Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns. 

His victory over The Big Dog at Extreme Rules led many to believe he was destined to pursue the Universal Championship in the near future, possibly against Brock Lesnar in what many would consider a dream match.

However, Lashley wasn't getting over the way management had hoped. He was doing fine and putting on good matches, but he wasn't getting the kind of crowd response a top star should receive.

Turning him heel was a logical choice. He had done well in TNA with a cocky character who thought he was above professional wrestling, so it seemed like we would see something similar in WWE.

Then Rush showed up. The cruiserweight had barely been on the main roster for a cup of coffee when he was expected to get someone over as a top heel in a managerial role he had never performed before.

To Rush's credit, his antics at ringside whenever he is forced to run away from Lashley's opponents are entertaining due to his agility, but everything else about his partnership with Lashley was falling flat.

Having his client pose to show off his glutes to the crowd felt like the kind of cheap heat tactic we would have seen in the '80s. It's not the kind of thing someone who is going to feud with Lesnar would be doing. 

Then the McMahon family appeared on Raw and promised the WWE Universe to change for the better in 2019 to address complaints from fans and Superstars. 

We all knew it would take time for any kind of significant changes to be implemented, but Lashley and Rush appear to have already altered their characters for the better with one promo on Monday's New Year's Eve episode of Raw.

Instead of coming out and pretending to laugh at his own bad jokes, The 24-Year Old Piece of Gold gave Lashley a pep talk like nothing we had heard from him before.

The passion in his voice as he talked about how Lashley was a true fighter was real. He was still being cocky, but he was doing it in a much more threatening manner.

One of the reasons Paul Heyman is considered such a great manager for Lesnar is because every time he picks up a mic, he gets more fired up than anyone else in the building.

His intensity and energy would make most people lose their voice after every promo if they delivered it the same way he would. While Rush is nowhere near being on the same level as Heyman, he showed some similar qualities when he introduced Lashley for his match against Seth Rollins.

There was no bending over for the crowd. There were no jokes. It was just Rush pumping his client up so he could get in the ring and destroy his opponent.

The delivery of his final line "Dominate. Dominate! You get in there and you dominate!" was the most convincing moment. If this is the where he is taking with his character as a manager, it's a big step in the right direction. 

It also helped that he wasn't chanting Lashley's name throughout the match. The crowd was able to focus on the action in the ring instead of the annoying guy from 205 Live at ringside.

This might all be premature. Rush could return to his old ways next week and Lashley could still be showing his butt to a silent audience, but if we want to believe WWE is changing for the better, we have to believe Superstars like Rush and Lashley can recover from a rocky start.

What do you think? Can Rush and Lashley salvage their gimmicks, or are they better off without each other?