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Over the years, AEW has expanded its roster size significantly by adding several major stars from all over the world.
Interestingly, in doing so, this meant the company had a lot of talent vying for the limited TV time available. Hence, many big names had to be benched for various reasons. However, there were a few who were on their way to becoming a World Champion when they were pulled from TV.
In this article, we will look at three wrestlers Tony Khan's promotion had benched who could've been a World Champion:
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#3. Miro
Miro burst onto the AEW scene in explosive fashion, much like his character. He was booked as a dominant force who could easily stomp on his opponents in the blink of an eye. At first glance, it looked like the Bulgarian Brute was destined for success in the Jacksonville-based promotion. He had everything that the roster was missing at that point - raw strength, personality, and explosive in-ring skills.
Things were going right for him when he first won the TNT Championship. However, this was as good as it got for him as his career took a downturn in 2022. He was suddenly taken off TV only to be brought back for a brief period in 2023.
After his match at AEW Worlds End 2023 against Andrade, Miro was taken off TV again. He never wrestled for the promotion after that and was eventually released from the company earlier this year and returned to WWE as Rusev.
Tony Khan's decision not to make Miro a World Champion could cost him dearly since the Bulgarian Brute would've made an excellent heel champion. He could've been different than a typical heel champion since he wouldn't have needed anyone's help to win given his dominance.
#2. Former AEW star Ricky Starks
Ricky Starks made a huge splash in AEW with his debut against Cody Rhodes. It didn't take fans long to realize that Starks was the complete package and had everything to be a top guy in the Jacksonville-based promotion. He could cut an excellent promo and even handle himself fairly well in the ring. It looked like things were starting to take off for him when he beat CM Punk in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament in July 2023.
He then went on to win the AEW World Tag Team Title with Big Bill. After losing the gold, it looked like Starks may be on the verge of a massive singles push. However, that didn't happen, and instead, he was benched from TV in March 2024.
Starks remained benched until the end of the year and was eventually released earlier this year. This was a huge missed opportunity for Tony Khan since his charisma, personality, and skills could've taken the World Title to new heights, and this could've provided the company an opportunity to create a superstar.
#1. Wardlow
Wardlow made his AEW debut as MJF's bodyguard. He quickly gained a lot of attention for his size and athleticism. Soon, fans were even cheering for him to betray The Devil, and when he finally did, everybody was happy since it looked like Mr. Mayhem would be pushed straight into the main event scene.
However, that didn't happen. He was involved in a storyline over the TNT Championship and taken off TV for a brief time before he was brought back on to be involved in the Undisputed Kingdom storyline. However, he got injured during his match against Samoa Joe on the March 13, 2024, episode of Dynamite. Since then, he has not been seen on TV, even though there have been reports that he has recovered.
Tony Khan had the chance to make Wardlow a World Champion a long time ago at the peak of his popularity, and he missed the opportunity. Building the 37-year-old into a World Champion could've also benefited AEW since he is a homegrown star.
It will be interesting to see if Wardlow ever becomes AEW World Champion in the future or whether he follows the path of the other two stars in this article.
