'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABjAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABwgQAAEEAQQDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQFABETFCEGEiJBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGEQADAAIBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMAEQUEEiExQf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AyVXNeMXU+sr2aFiGuji8d11t1R5v1vBboP6CcmMyBUGXIKI7iE7q/VIc6SNegNQcYw5VnXkLKHYATTxs/cc9FGNOKg7TQsa0G+0egdZ//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Wardlow claimed 2023 would be his year, given his growth in the last. However, things went awry for the AEW star when he, unfortunately, robbed and lost his TNT title within a week following Revolution.
The 35-year-old made his AEW debut in 2019 as MJF's bodyguard and was later associated with The Pinnacle. In July last year, Wardlow won his first reign as TNT Champion against Scorpio Sky in a street fight match. He held the title since AEW Full Gear, where Samoa Joe defeated him. The two continued their feud until he won the championship again at Revolution.
A day before his match against Powerhouse Hobbs on Dynamite, Wardlow took to social media to share his anger at being robbed. All his personal items, including the TNT Championship, have been taken away. On the show, he lost the title to Hobbs.
Last year, Tony Khan was vocal about the star's impressive run with the promotion and even compared him to wrestling legend Sting. The conclusion of his second TNT Title reign left fans confused why it was short-lived and raised concerns about his upcoming booking in AEW:
Given their similar physiques and gimmicks, the AEW star has often been compared to WWE legends Batista and Goldberg. His initial run as MJF's bodyguard and usage of the powerbombs bore much resemblance to The Animal's.
Wardlow had a WWE tryout before AEW signing
Wardlow made his wrestling debut in 2014 for American Revolution Wrestling. He competed in several other independent promotions before signing with All Elite Wrestling. During that time, in 2018, he had a tryout for NXT.
The former TNT Champion claimed that while he performed well in the tryout, WWE recruits were not impressed to take it forward with the contract signing, and the incident almost convinced him to give up wrestling:
"I aced that tryout [WWE]. I mean, with flying colors, and they didn't want me. So for the first time in my life, I went, Oh, well, maybe this isn't gonna happen," Wardlow said. "You know, fortunately, I stuck with it, and I was determined to make it happen one way or another, and I thank god every day that AEW came about."
While his recent title loss turned over to the wrestling fraternity, it might deflect his goals toward the big one - the AEW World Championship. With the current titleholder being his former ally-turned-rival, the feud might become even more intense given their history.
