"Let's give this guy a shot" - Cody Rhodes wanted 34-year-old in AEW after multiple recommendations

AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes has been the gateway to All Elite Wrestling for many wrestlers.

At one point, Rhodes was heavily involved in bringing in new talent to the Elite promotion, and one such talent was Wardlow. Fans see Wardlow dominate the ring today, but earlier in his career, the powerhouse struggled to break into the sport.

During an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Wardlow detailed how the American Nightmare wanted AEW to sign him after many recommendations.

"Three or four different people had mentioned my name to Cody [Rhodes] all within three weeks’ time. It started with Britt Baker, because she and I came up together in IWC in Pittsburgh. Then Glacier did a seminar in IWC and watched me work. He ended up watching my match and called Cody the next day. It was like this perfect storm, he kept hearing my name from so many people that he went ‘Okay, let’s give this guy a shot,'" Wardlow said.

Wardlow's journey to AEW might have been, as he stated, a "perfect storm", but he still has a long way to go. Though The War Dog has been teasing turning on MJF in recent weeks, he's still standing by the Dynamite Diamond Ring winner's suit.

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Wardlow's career in AEW is seemingly looking up

In many ways, Wardlow's career is reminiscent of Batista, a 6-time world champion in WWE. The Animal was also in his 30s when WWE signed him and both wrestlers have similar in-ring styles.

Batista's betrayal of Triple H is a momentous event that established him as a major star. Like Batista, Wardlow will also likely turn on his faction leader after winning the leader's coveted championship.

AEW has booked Wardlow as an impressive star lately, and if this trend continues, he could potentially win the TNT Championship soon.

Please credit INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.