Tag: wardlow

Wardlow reportedly backstage for AEW Double or Nothing

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Former TNT Champion Wardlow was reportedly backstage for AEW Double or Nothing, according to PWInsider.

Wardlow competed in his last AEW match on the March 13 edition of Dynamite against Samoa Joe. He later resurfaced at Forbidden Door 2025 in a statement appearance to attack Prince Nana and align himself with the Don Callis Family. Reports later indicated that he was dealing with a knee injury that sidelined him. 

He became a breakout star in AEW during his MJF feud in 2022 and is a three time TNT Champion. His latest venture is featuring in American Gladiators hosted by WWE star The Miz. The series premiered on April 17 on Amazon Prime Video. 

Notably, Wardlow also attended AEW Revolution this year without making a televised appearance.

Absent AEW wrestler reportedly in town for Double or Nothing

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

AEW Double or Nothing is just a few hours away, and Wardlow is reportedly set to be present in town for that.

Double or Nothing PPV is scheduled to take place on May 24, 2026, at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. And according to Fightful Select, former three-time AEW TNT Champion Wardlow is in town. However, it is not known if he’s scheduled to make an appearance at the PPV or not.

He last returned at the 2025 AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door PPV in London, UK. However, a few weeks after his return, it was reported that the 38-year-old was injured again and had sustained a torn pectoral muscle injury.

Despite his absence from wrestling, Wardlow has been active on television. Amid his injury, he filmed the American Gladiators reboot, which airs on Amazon Prime. Wardlow had also fully torn his left bicep ahead of filming for American Gladiators, but chose not to undergo surgery and instead wore a sleeve during filming.

Also, according to sources close to Fightful Select, it was noted that Wardlow has been present at a lot of shows while he works on his return. With several recent frequent injuries, Wardlow’s last match dates back to March 2024.

Wardlow’s name on American Gladiators revealed

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

It has been two full years now since Wardlow wrestled a match in AEW, but fans will soon be seeing him elsewhere under a different name.

It was announced last summer that Wardlow would be competing on the new edition of American Gladiators. Now Wardlow has shared a video showing each of the Gladiators’ identities, including his own: Fang.

“Wardlow is officially FANG!” he wrote. “One of the new American Gladiators which debuts April 17th on Amazon Prime Video.”

“Very excited for this,” he added. “I grew up watching this show so little me is very proud to say, I am an American Gladiator! Pretty wild. Hope y’all are ready!”

Wardlow is not the only wrestling personality who will be appearing on the new Gladiators show:

  • Jessica “J-Rod” Roden, former OVW Women’s Champion, will be competing as Supernova.
  • Kailey “Kamille” Latimer, former NWA World Women’s Champion who has also appeared for AEW, will be competing as Hurricane.
  • Eric “Rick Boogs” Bugenhagen, a two-time former WWE 24/7 champion who is perhaps best known as Shinsuke Nakamura’s personal guitarist, will be competing as The Bull.
  • Jessie “Mr. Pectacular” Godderz, former two-time TNA World Tag Team champion and a regular name in the Big Brother franchise, will be competing as Steel.
  • Mike Mizanin, a two-time WWE champion, will be hosting as (presumably) The Miz.

Wardlow was once one of AEW’s most heavily pushed stars, going on long undefeated streaks and winning the TNT championship three times. His last match, however, was in March of 2024, an unsuccessful challenge of Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship. In August of 2025, Wardlow joined the Don Callis Family at AEW’s Forbidden Door. He reportedly tore his pec in that segment and has not been seen in AEW since.

Wardlow in attendance at AEW Revolution

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Former TNT Champion Wardlow was in attendance for this month’s AEW Revolution, but in a backstage capacity. 

According to Fightful Select, Wardlow was there just to visit with no plans yet on his in-ring return any time soon. 

He has been out of action since his brief return last August when he shockingly attacked Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana at Forbidden Door to pledge allegiance to the Don Callis Family. In that angle, he suffered a torn pectoral muscle forcing him out of action again. 

That was following him recuperating from a knee injury during which time he was filming for the American Gladiators reboot series hosted by WWE’s The Miz that debuts in April. That knee injury kept him out of action for a year.

He made his AEW debut in 2019 as MJF’s bodyguard. In 2022, that alliance ended when Wardlow refused to hand over the Dynamite Diamond Ring which saw him break away from The Pinnacle and establish himself as a singles competitor.  In July that year, he won the TNT Championship, a title held for nearly 140 days.

WOL: AAA creative structure, Wardlow hurt, news and TV

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with tons to talk about including WWE wrestlers working NXT house shows, Wardlow injured again, the creative structure of AAA and the line-up for the show this weekend, Smackdown and Collision notes, all the news and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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Report: AEW wrestler injured, possible torn pec

Posted on by Ian Carey

Wardlow is reportedly injured.

Fightful Select is reporting that sources within AEW are worried the former three-time TNT Champion may have suffered a torn pec, potentially putting him out of action for some time. The report states that he may have sustained the injury during his return angle at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door when he attacked Swerve Strickland and aligned with The Don Callis Family, but that is not confirmed.

Wardlow had just finished filming two seasons of American Gladiators at the time of his return. Filming took place in France this summer, and the show will air on Amazon Prime with no release date yet announced. It will be hosted by The Miz and will also feature former NXT wrestler Rick Boogs, Kamille, and former TNA wrestler Jessie Goddarz.

Wardlow hasn’t wrestled since the March 13, 2024 episode of Dynamite, which was Mercedes Mone’s debut dubbed Big Business. He dropped an AEW World Championship match to Samoa Joe on the show.

AEW star returns at Forbidden Door after long absence, joins faction

Posted on by Josh Nason

After more than a year away, former TNT Champion Wardlow has finally returned to AEW, making a surprise appearance at Sunday’s Forbidden Door.

Wardlow, fresh off his run on the impending American Gladiators reboot, came into the ring following AEW Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada’s victory over Swerve Strickland in which Okada further damaged the challenger’s knee.

Wardlow, dressed in an all black suit, took out Prince Nana with a clothesline and then continued to ground and pound him as Strickland was immobilized due to the injury.

Security eventually pulled Wardlow off, but he beat them up as well. He eventually left the ring where Okada and Don Callis were watching all this unfold with big smiles on their faces. Wardlow exited and embraced Callis, joined by Okada and the rest of the Don Callis Family.

Of note, Konosuke Takeshita came out last and just stared at Wardlow without any handshake or embrace, further building up his expected split with the group.

The 37-year-old has been out of action since March 2024 when he unsuccessfully challenged then-AEW World Champion Samoa Joe at the Big Business edition of AEW Dynamite. There were stories of him dealing with a knee injury but all sides were quiet during his extended absence.

Wardlow, Rick Boogs & Kamille among five wrestlers set for ‘American Gladiators’ reboot

Posted on by Josh Nason

Two AEW wrestlers that fell off the radar and a former WWE competitor were among five pro wrestlers announced for the American Gladiators reboot on Amazon Prime.

First broken by the Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, AEW’s Wardlow and Kamille, former WWE wrestler Rick Boogs, and Jessie Godderz and J-Rod of OVW will be part of the 16-person Gladiators crew that will soon have unique names like the original cast.

WWE’s The Miz was already announced as the host last month. Revealed Thursday, sports personality Chris Rose will be the lead play-by-play man with former BET 106 & Park co-host Rocsi Diaz as sideline reporter.

When the reboot begins filming and its anticipated release date are unknown.

The 37-year-old Wardlow hasn’t wrestled since a March 2024 challenge of then-AEW World Champion Samoa Joe. It was previously reported he was dealing with a knee injury and he also pulled out of an indie match set for this past April.

Kamille disappeared from AEW after her on-screen union with Mercedes Mone ended. Her last match came at last October’s Fright Night Dynamite, and both she and Tony Khan have been mum on her absence after just six matches in the promotion since last July.

Boogs was released by WWE in September 2023 and hasn’t wrestled since while Godderz and J-Rod are OVW regulars with J-Rod also frequently working indies. Godderz is also a two-time veteran of the Big Brother reality show.

WWE was previously set to partner with MGM on an American Gladiators reboot in 2021, but the project never came to be.

Daily Update: Roman Reigns, Duke Hudson, Wardlow

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the highlights:

  • The background of the John Cena angle and different versions of the story
  • What changed on the day of Elimination Chamber and different versions as to why
  • The turn itself
  • Travis Scott injures Rhodes
  • Comparisons with other turns
  • Art imitating real life
  • WrestleMania lineup
  • Elimination Chamber business and how it performed around the world
  • Pat McAfee controversy
  • TKO getting into boxing, what has and hasn’t been talked about and what we know about the details on how Nick Khan and Dana White are involved as well as why this is no risk for TKO
  • Linda McMahon confirmed for Secretary of Education, and then to wipe it all out
  • AEW Revolution preview, business numbers and interest level
  • Why the March 6, 1972 match with Antonio Inoki vs. Karl Gotch is still talked about 53 years after it happened
  • New Japan anniversary show notes, early New Japan Cup news
  • Saya Kamitani vs. Tam Nakano becomes a classic match, as well as a controversial one
  • Fantastica Mania final day coverage
  • Coverage of the deaths of Ciclon Ramirez and Australian Suicide
  • How did SmackDown and Dynamite place in the weekly standings
  • The unique Dynamite rating pattern
  • Full weekly ratings notes including what milestone did Raw on Netflix fall below
  • Notes on the high SmackDown number
  • Takeshita goes to Arena Mexico
  • Arguably the greatest freestyle wrestler of all-time passes away
  • Queen of the Ring notes
  • Giant mask match of legends being teased
  • Tony Khan changes philosophy
  • Forbidden Door title match tease
  • Tony Khan talks Wembley Stadium attendance record
  • Ospreay talks difference between New Japan and AEW
  • Mark Shapiro talks a lot of the future WWE and UFC business deals
  • A look at what level of value UFC PPVs could bring to Netflix and the value WWE brings to Netflix
  • Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones update
  • Freak show fight between two of the strongest men who ever lived
  • Big Tokyo Dome event planned
  • WWE in talks for a unique PPV event including date and place it is tentative for
  • Evolve notes
  • Sonya Deville and Carmella talk being dropped by WWE

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Tuesday Update

 WWE

AEW & Other Wrestling

  • Ricochet has filed to trademark the name ‘King Ricochet’.
  • Wardlow, who was originally announced for Pandemonium Pro Wrestling’s The House Always Wins on April 17, has pulled out of the show. Duke, the former Duke Hudson, will be replacing him in a six-man tag match in what is his first announced independent date following his WWE release.
  • The Beast Mortos is celebrating a birthday today.
  • Lio Rush and Action Andretti attended the red carpet premiere of Novacaine.
  • A ‘Bruno Forever’ fundraiser event honoring Bruno Sammartino is set for March 15 in Pittsburgh. Corey Graves and Stan Hansen have been announced for the show.
  • Juicy Finau has entered MLW’s Battle RIOT VII.
  • Independent wrestler Charlie Tiger was arrested on March 6 following an incident at a Sheetz gas station in Pennsylvania. 

Matt Taven: Wardlow is out due to knee injury

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: AEW

The absence of former TNT Champion Wardlow has been on the mind of AEW fans for months, but Undisputed Kingdom teammate Matt Taven shone some light as to the reason why.

During a podcast appearance, Taven said the big man is currently “out with a knee injury” but didn’t give any details as to the severity or when it was suffered. He said he believed that Wardlow is “just trying to figure out what the best kind of treatment plan is to get back on track with that knee.”

The 36-year-old hasn’t competed since this past March’s Big Business edition of Dynamite, losing to then-World Champion Samoa Joe. The month prior, it was feared he suffered a torn meniscus in a bout with Komander but he did wrestle three times after that including the aforementioned Joe match.

Taven was also asked about faction leader Adam Cole and didn’t have any update, just saying everyone is trying to focus on their long-term health and that he’ll be back when he’s ready. Cole has been out of action since suffering a severe ankle injury at last September’s Grand Slam event.

Wrestling Weekly: SummerSlam fallout, thoughts and memories of Kevin Sullivan

Posted on by Victor Sosa

As a personal friend of the late Kevin Sullivan, Les Thatcher shares a few thoughts about Kevin and his legendary career. We also look at where WWE is headed after SummerSlam, plus a very eventful Raw and the next steps on AEW’s road to Wembley Stadium.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

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Wrestling Weekly: Mercedes Mone debuts in AEW

Posted on by Victor Sosa

It’s a brand-new Wrestling Weekly.

In addition to looking at the debut of Mercedes Mone this past Wednesday in AEW, Les Thatcher and I are joined by special guest and pro wrestler Matt Sigmon who stops by to talk about the upcoming Wrestling for the Kingdom training camp happening April 26-28 in Kingsport, TN. 

The camp is an exclusive event where Christian wrestlers, referees, managers and others join for a weekend full of spiritual growth, fellowship and wrestling training.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

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Fight Game: Is Mercedes Mone going to mean big business for AEW?

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

John LaRocca and I are back with another episode of The Fight Game Podcast.

We kicked off the show talking about John being the focus of a segment on Jim Cornette’s podcast.

We then got to the rest of our Top 5 which included:

  • Mercedes Mone’s AEW debut
  • Samoa Joe vs. Wardlow from this past Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite
  • Will Ospreay’s promo setting up his AEW Dynasty match against Bryan Danielson
  • The WWE WrestleMania XL card so far
  • The Dark Side of the Ring episode on Buff Bagwell

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World title match added to AEW Big Business

Posted on by Ethan Renner

An AEW World Championship match has been added to the Big Business card. 

As revealed during Wednesday’s Dynamite season premiere, Samoa Joe will defend the AEW World title against Wardlow at Big Business in Boston on Wednesday, March 13. 

Wardlow earned the title show with a victory at last Sunday’s Revolution pay-per-view in an eight-man scramble match. 

Also added to the Big Business lineup, Willow Nightingale will go one-on-one with Riho. Willow will look to avenge Kris Statlander’s loss to Riho on this week’s Dynamite after Statlander refused to cheat with help from Stokely Hathaway to earn a victory. 

Already announced for Boston is a Darby Allin vs. Jay White singles match.

The special Big Business edition of Dynamite is set for Wednesday, March 13 at TD Garden in Boston. The show is expected to feature the AEW debut of Mercedes Mone, and airs in its usual 8 p.m. Eastern time slot on TBS.

The updated Big Business lineup: 

  • Mercedes Mone’s AEW debut is expected
  • AEW World Champion Samoa Joe defends against Wardlow
  • Darby Allin vs. Jay White
  • Willow Nightingale vs. Riho

Wrestling Weekly: The first steps on the road to WrestleMania

Posted on by Victor Sosa

On tap for a new edition of Wrestling Weekly, Les Thatcher and I talk the latest news and developments in the lawsuit against Vince McMahon plus a look at the first steps along the road to this year’s WWE WrestleMania.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)