Despite making his AEW return just a few weeks ago, Wardlow has once again found himself on the shelf due to an unexpected injury. The War Dog was seemingly set to be the new muscle for a dominant heel faction, but now that he's out of commission, Tony Khan could hasten a former champion's comeback, booking the latter to rejoin his stablemates. The star in question is none other than Brian Cage. Last month at Forbidden Door 2025, Kazuchika Okada successfully retained his AEW Unified Championship against Swerve Strickland. The Rainmaker viciously attacked The Realest after the match, trapping his legs behind the ringside steel steps and ambushing him with a chair. Although Prince Nana made the save for his client, the veteran manager was blindsided by the returning Wardlow, who then embraced and allied with Don Callis.Although the former TNT Champion did accompany his new stablemates on Dynamite after Forbidden Door, he has been missing from AEW television since. Now, a report is making the rounds claiming that Wardlow sustained a torn pec either during or after his PPV return, and that the injury will likely take him out for several months. If Don Callis wants his group back in full strength soon, he could decide to fast-track the comeback of Brian Cage. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe Machine has been out of action himself since this past March and is currently on the mend from multiple recent surgeries. The former FTW Champion has been training for his comeback for some time now, and although there's no specific timeline for his return, Wardlow's unexpected injury could prompt Tony Khan to slot Cage back into AEW's programming as soon as he's cleared.The Swolverine joined the Don Callis Family back in October last year.Nic Nemeth's comments on Wardlow's AEW returnAlthough Wardlow's appearance at Forbidden Door was one of the most talked-about moments from the pay-per-view, Nic Nemeth argued on a recent episode of Busted Open Radio that the 37-year-old's return at the event and subsequent appearance on AEW Dynamite left much to be desired. The former WWE Superstar stated:"He came back at the pay-per-view, and he was there [at 'Dynamite'], kinda, like cardboard cutout-wise, and it broke my heart. We didn't hear from him? Maybe you don't have to hear from him. He's standing next to Don Callis. That's kind of a big deal. It wasn't addressed and Callis had a long promo about all of his minions in his group and I just go, 'There's something special that could have happened there.'" [H/T WrestlingInc.]It remains to be seen when Wardlow will return to All Elite Wrestling after he recovers.