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On this week's anniversary special of AEW Dynamite, Wardlow will put his TNT Championship on the line against the recently-returned Brian Cage, who is set to wrestle his first singles match in almost a year.
Cage's last singles bout was on the October 8, 2021, Rampage episode, where he unsuccessfully challenged Ricky Starks for the FTW Championship in a Philadelphia street fight. Afterward, he disappeared from the company's programming and made several appearances in the indies and the newly rebooted Ring of Honor.
Meanwhile, Wardlow last defended his TNT Championship against Tony Nese on the September 7th episode of Dynamite. Since then, he has allied with Samoa Joe to combat Nese, Josh Woods, and 'Smart' Mark Sterling.
On Twitter, Mr. Mayhem made it clear to AEW President Tony Khan that he wants a challenger for his title who is "remotely close" to his level.
The executive obliged by announcing that Wardlow would defend his title in an open challenge against Cage, whom he has similar features, especially on the physicality aspect, on the anniversary special this Wednesday.
The Machine recently made his comeback on AEW television via the Golden Ticket Battle Royale on Rampage: Grand Slam. He also had a successful outing on Dark: Elevation earlier when he beat Tracy Williams.
Fans questioned Tony Khan's decision to schedule the Brian Cage-Wardlow match on AEW Dynamite
However, the Twitter world wasn't pleased with AEW President Tony Khan's sudden booking of a TNT Championship match between Wardlow and Brian Cage.
Some of them liked the upcoming match but pointed out that there was no proper build-up.
Meanwhile, this user lamented that the showdown between the two behemoths should've happened a long time ago. The netizen pleaded with the president to utilize The Machine for the foreseeable future.
However, a couple of fans approved Khan's announcement, with some expressing their anticipation.
The upcoming TNT Championship match between Cage and Wardlow will surely be a hard-hitting affair. Fans will have to watch the Dynamite anniversary special this Wednesday to see the massive collision go down.
Are you team Wardlow or team Brian Cage for the TNT Championship? Let us know your answers in the comments section.
