Is Wardlow returning soon?
The former TNT Champion has been out since Spring 2024 after suffering a torn labrum. Everything’s been pretty quiet on Wardlow’s end, but according to a recent Fightful report, Wardlow could be making his return soon. The 37-year-old has been cleared for a while now, but the report states that Tony Khan didn’t feel it made sense to bring back Wardlow as he was cast in the American Gladiators show alongside Kamille. Filming just ended for the series and AEW is reportedly discussing ideas to bring him back to television.
There’s no confirmation on when we could see Wardlow pop up on AEW television. There’s also no confirmation on what his potential feuds are coming back. Wardlow’s last match was against Samoa Joe and those two were having a mini feud before he was sidelined with an injury. Previously, Wardlow was one of the core members of the Undisputed Kingdom, but sadly, that storyline fell flat because of Adam Cole’s serious injury.
Wardlow made his debut for AEW in 2019 as MJF’s bodyguard. The company did an excellent job building up the tension between him and the former AEW World Champion leading into their first match where Wardlow absolutely destroyed MJF.
However, the backstage issues regarding MJF overshadowed Wardlow’s big moment and he had a rather lackluster TNT title run after such a monumental face turn. Wardlow’s been floating around the mid card scene for the past couple of years. His recent heel turn indicated that he would be in line for the world championship someday, but that never came to fruition. The AEW landscape has changed vastly since 2024. It’ll be very interesting to see what Tony Khan has in store for the former TNT Champion. Wardlow is surely talented, but he’s been let down by AEW’s booking of his character.
If Tony Khan can find the magic that he had when Wardlow was in the Inner Circle then he can easily make the AEW star a hot prospect again. Wardlow was once pegged as a future world champion and there’s no denying that a string of injuries has derailed his momentum. But one good story can always get him right back on track to being one of the hottest AEW stars in the company.
Interestingly enough, Kamille was mentioned as one of the participants of the American Gladiators filming, though there’s no signs that she’ll be returning any time soon. There’s been no updates lately about her AEW status. The last time the AEW star made her television appearance was back in December. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get a better update on these two very soon.