Wardlow might not be “fine” following an apparent injury on AEW Dynamite.
The former TNT Champion’s knee appeared to buckle when giving a powerbomb to his opponent Komander on last night’s show.
After Dynamite ended, Wardlow posted to X stating his “knee is just fine.”
According to our own Bryan Alvarez, however, Wardlow’s knee might not be fine. Alvarez gave an update on Wardlow’s condition during today’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio. He noted that Wardlow will be getting checked out today and there is fear he may have sustained a torn meniscus.
“Wardlow says he is fine. I have been told that it’s not fine,” Alvarez said.
“I was told that he was hurt,” Dave Meltzer added.
“What I was told was he’s getting checked out tomorrow,” Alvarez continued. “They think it’s possibly a torn meniscus but that he dodged a bullet and it wasn’t much worse and he’ll probably be alright but he definitely is not fine.”
Despite some concerns following his win over Komander on AEW Dynamite, Wardlow took to social media to calm any fears about his right knee.
Wardlow was favoring the knee at several points following a pair of dropkicks to it early on, but nothing looked to be out of the ordinary as it came off like normal selling. He even did an unassisted jump from the floor up to the apron at one point which came after he was run into the ringside steps where he began trying to shake his knee loose.
It wasn’t until Wardlow power bombed Komander to end the match where it appeared something was wrong as his knee slightly gave out, causing the move to look awkward.
Wardlow was visibly muttering “f**k” afterward and limping, slamming his hands on the ring steps in an apparent show of frustration — some of which you can see in this clip below:
He eventually went to the back with the rest of The Undisputed Kingdom with his right knee pad completely pulled down.
Nearly 40 minutes after the show concluded, he took to X to share an update:
A normal man’s knee would be ruined. I’m no normal man. I’m still coming for the heavyweight title. And there’s nothing and no one that can stop me. Knee is just fine 🐺 #AEWDynamite
For the first time since November 2022, MJF is no longer AEW World Champion as he was submitted by Samoa Joe in the main event of Saturday’s Worlds End from Long Island, New York.
Things then got worse for MJF as his friend Adam Cole was revealed to be the mysterious Devil character along with his henchmen of Wardlow, Roderick Strong and The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett).
The title change didn’t come without controversy as MJF’s hand dropped twice on the mat and then a third time on his own leg, causing referee Bryce Remsburg to momentarily pause after calling for the bell. Based on the reaction he had afterward, that appears to be the impetus for an MJF dispute in the future.
Cole, tan with a trimmed beard, was in MJF’s corner the entire match. While Remsburg was briefly knocked out, MJF called for his Dynamite diamond ring to hit Joe but Cole fumbled around before finally handing it over. Joe managed to avoid the strike and ensnared MJF in a sleeper for the aforementioned tap.
Cole consoled MJF afterward, leading to the four masked henchmen of the Devil to run out and attack. They grabbed both MJF and Cole with one henchman wielding a char and threatening to hit either one of them. MJF yelled to hit himself instead of Cole and then, the lights went out.
When they went back on, Cole was sitting in the chair and slowly put his hair back as MJF was in disbelief.
The four men then revealed themselves and laid MJF out as Cole looked on, eventually pulling the Devil mask out and dropping it on his former friend as the show went off the air. His walking boot remained on as there was no sign of the injury being a ruse.
Taven and Bennett were holding the ROH Tag Team titles they won under masks by defeating MJF in a handicap match on Wednesday’s Dynamite. Afterward, it was revealed that Joe, who was supposed to team with MJF but faked a knee injury, was aligned with the Devil the entire time.
MJF’s first-ever World title run began at November 2022’s Full Gear in Newark, New Jersey, with his win over Jon Moxley. He successfully defended the title ten times, most recently at last month’s Full Gear over Jay White.
He has been battling several injuries as of late, including a torn labrum. His left shoulder was in a brace and heavily taped.
The former TNT Champion made his surprise return to the promotion after nearly four months off TV in an unannounced squash match on Wednesday’s Dynamite Anniversary show.
Wardlow defeated Griff Garrison by referee stoppage at Dynamite Anniversary after hitting a series of powerbombs. It was the first match for Wardlow since dropping the TNT Championship to Luchasaurus on the debut episode of AEW Collision back in June.
At a convention appearance in August, Wardlow spoke about how the time off television had impacted him, noting that he had suffered from depression during the break.
It has never been reported whether Wardlow’s absence was injury related or a planned sabbatical.
Wardlow is a three-time former TNT Champion, tying Sammy Guevara for the most reigns with that title in company history. His most recent reign with the TNT title began in April with a win over Powerhouse Hobbs on Dynamite, and ended with the loss to Luchasaurus on the debut Collision in June.
Wednesday’s match was the first of 2023 for Garrison on AEW television, although he has been active on the ROH brand.
Wardlow doesn’t know when he’ll be back on AEW programming and says that he’s been feeling depressed since he’s been gone.
The 35-year-old hasn’t wrestled since dropping the TNT Championship to Luchasaurus (and Christian Cage) on the debut episode of AEW Collision on 6/17. He took questions during a panel talk at Terrificon 2023 recently and was asked when he expects to be back on television.
“I do not know when I’ll be back, hopefully soon,” Wardlow responded.
“I’ve been off TV for almost a couple months and I’ve been very depressed,” he continued. “Wrestling is my everything that makes me happy. So, today I feel like me again for the first time in months. I just want to say thank you guys for coming out because you guys really flip a switch in my mind, my heart that I needed, so thank you.”
Wardlow defeated Powerhouse Hobbs to win the TNT Championship for a record-tying third time on the 4/19 AEW Dynamite. He then successfully defended it against Cage in a ladder match at Double or Nothing 2023 before dropping it to Luchasaurus.
For the first time since last September’s All Out, Miro will be in action as part of Saturday’s AEW Collision debut.
Miro, a former TNT Champion, last competed in a trios match alongside Darby Allin and Sting against the House of Black at the aforementioned pay-per-view. Since then, he has worked on a CBS show and there has been both speculation and reporting he has not been in action due to disagreements about creative.
Another wrestler who has been disgruntled with AEW at times is Andrade El Idolo who returns to take on Buddy Matthews of the aforementioned House of Black. Andrade has also been out since All Out when he competed in a Casino ladder match. He underwent surgery for a torn pectoral muscle in November.
The TNT title will be on the line as Wardlow will defend against Luchasaurus. After Wardlow defeated Christian Cage at last month’s Double or Nothing, Cage has been relentless in his pursuit of defeating Wardlow, bloodying up Arn Anderson on Dynamite in order to make the match happen.
Based on the events of Dynamite, AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm & Ruby Soho will take on NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Willow Nightingale & Skye Blue. Nightingale came to Blue’s aid after Storm and Soho beat down Soho following Storm’s successful title defense.
Here’s the full lineup, highlighted by the return of CM Punk:
TNT Champion Wardlow defends against Luchasaurus
Miro in action
Skye Blue & Willow Nightingale vs. Toni Storm & Ruby Soho
The next title challenger for AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm is official.
Skye Blue picked up a win on Friday’s Rampage in a four-way that included Britt Baker, Nyla Rose and Mercedes Martinez to earn her title opportunity that will come this Wednesday on Dynamite.
Blue earned the victory by pinning Rose as Baker and Martinez fought on the outside of the ring. She will be looking for her first AEW title of any kind.
After regaining the title at last month’s Double or Nothing, Storm will be looking for the third defense of the gold.
In another new match announced Friday, TNT Champion Wardlow will defend against Jake Hager. This is Wardlow’s first match since defending the title against Christian Cage at last month’s Double or Nothing.
The new additions join the previously announced MJF vs. Adam Cole AEW World title eliminator match, the Blackpool Combat Club vs. The Elite trios match, and eight-man tag team match featuring the return of Sting.
Here’s the current card for Washington, DC:
AEW World title eliminator: MJF vs. Adam Cole
AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm defends against Skye Blue
TNT Champion Wardlow defends against Jake Hager
The Elite (Hangman Page & The Young Bucks) vs. Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta)
Sting, Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy & Keith Lee vs. Mogul Embassy (Swerve Strickland, Brian Cage, Kaun & Toa Liona)
While there were two title changes at AEW Double or Nothing in Las Vegas, the rest of the titleholders retained their championships in a near-clean sweep including AEW World Champion MJF.
In a match between the “Four Pillars” that had been built up for months, MJF picked up his third successful title defense with a side headlock takeover pin on Darby Allin. Unbeknownst to Allin, he coffin dropped onto the title that MJF laid on “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry, hitting the back of his head and knocking him out. Sammy Guevara was also in the match.
The match aired in the co-main event spot as the Anarchy in the Arena brawl took top billing.
**********
FTR’s second reign as AEW Tag Team Champions continued with their victory over Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal.
In a match with a lot of things happening, including Karen Jarrett knocking out referee Aubrey Edwards, the champions picked up the win after special referee Mark Briscoe slapped Jarrett who turned around into the Shatter Machine for the pin and win. This marked FTR’s first title defense since defeating The Gunns in April.
In the latest Trios title defense, the House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King & Buddy Matthews) successfully defeated The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn who officially answered the House’s open challenge. Black got the pin on Gunn after landing his spinning kick for their fifth title defense.
Wardlow defended the TNT title in a ladder match against Christian Cage that saw the champion take out Luchasaurus with a swanton off a ladder on the outside of the ring. Another notable spot saw Arn Anderson bite Luchasaurus’ thumb, covering Anderson’s mouth and face with blood.
In the opening match of the main card, AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy’s reign continued with his 23rd title defense as he stood victorious in the 21-man Blackjack battle royal, last eliminating Swerve Strickland.
Wardlow says wrestling Goldberg is a “dream monster match” of his.
The TNT Champion was interviewed by WhatCulture at WrestleCon recently and spoke about having interacted with Goldberg at the convention.
Wardlow said:
Goldberg did walk through just a minute ago and we exchanged words. I don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes but we both mutually agreed that if the opportunity comes, we would love to see who really is next.
He continued to list Goldberg amongst other all-time great “monsters” in wrestling, saying:
Batista, Lesnar, Goldberg, I put those three in the same category of dream monster matches. I mean, we just heard Ward-low [chants], we haven’t heard that since Goldberg so I think Wardlow vs. Goldberg, man, it doesn’t get bigger than that. It does not get bigger than Wardlow vs. Goldberg.
Asked about potentially retiring Goldberg, Wardlow responded:
If it comes down to Wardlow as the man to retire Goldberg, I can die peacefully.
It was reported last month that Goldberg’s WWE contract had expired and the 56-year-old is now a free agent. This led to speculation regarding what could be next for the Hall of Famer, including possibly signing with AEW.
When asked about Goldberg’s free agency recently, AEW president Tony Khan said, “It’s interesting to hear that he is a free agent, so that’s something to follow. He’s one of the biggest names in wrestling and certainly will be something else to keep an eye on for us.”
During a recent radio appearance, Goldberg said that he wants to have a proper retirement match. He noted that he is leaning toward a self-funded four-city tour to end his career.
Goldberg said:
So, if I go on a world tour and promote it myself, that’s a possibility. Hey, I’m a businessman and I’m fortunately in the position, I firmly believe, to where I can still make it happen. At the end of the day, like I said, I do believe that my character deserves a proper send-off and until that happens, I don’t believe I’m hanging them up. So, anything and everything is an option.
Becoming the third three-time TNT title holder, Wardlow defeated Powerhouse Hobbs on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite in Pittsburgh to regain the Championship.
Wardlow pinned Hobbs after hitting his Powerbomb Symphony, taking back the title that Hobbs won from him last month.
After Wardlow’s victory, Christian Cage and Luchasaurus made their way to the stage, signaling the next challenger for the TNT title.
Wardlow’s second title reign began at Revolution on March 5, where he defeated Samoa Joe. On the next Dynamite on March 8, Hobbs defeated Wardlow with the help of QT Marshall in a Falls Count Anywhere contest for the Championship.
Marshall also got involved in the title match on this week’s Dynamite, but Arn Anderson was in Wardlow’s corner to counteract the interference.
Wardlow was hit with a Marshall cutter, but Anderson climbed in and threatened Marshall with his finger gun. Marshall backed down, but Penta El Zero Miedo forced him back into the ring and into a DDT from Anderson.
The TNT title will be on the line on next Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite as Powerhouse Hobbs will defend against former champion Wardlow.
After Hobbs defeated Silas Young on Wednesday’s show in an open challenge, Wardlow made his surprise return and destroyed Hobbs’ new car, flipping it over with a forklift. The two eventually brawled in the arena before Wardlow threw Aaron Solo through a table.
It was Wardlow’s first appearance since the March 8th Dynamite when Hobbs defeated him for the title and aligned with QT Marshall.
Hometown hero Britt Baker will return to Pittsburgh to team with AEW Women’s Champion Jamie Hayter against rivals Ruby Soho & Toni Storm as their intense feud continues.
On Wednesday, Baker and Hayter came out to aid Skye Blue and Riho after Storm and Soho defeated them and attacked them after the match, joined by Saraya. A brawl ensued afterward.
Here’s the current lineup for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:
TNT Champion Powerhouse Hobbs defends against Wardlow
Jamie Hayter & Britt Baker vs. Ruby Soho & Toni Storm
After a two-month break, Josh Nason’s Punch-Out has returned following last week’s head-scratching edition of AEW Dynamite.
Joining me is past guest Jesse Collings of Wrestlenomics and Voices of Wrestling.
The main focus is Wardlow, who lost the TNT title on Dynamite just days after regaining it at Revolution. After last year’s Double or Nothing win over MJF, I felt like he was tabbed for stardom in AEW. Then, we got what we got. We discuss the timeline with some differing opinions on where things went wrong or if they were even destined to go right to begin with.
We then delve into the bizarre Twitter war between AEW vice president & wrestler QT Marshall and Wrestling Inc.’s Raj Giri, and whether it’s a bad look for a company VP to be conducting himself in such a manner on a public forum.
We also talk about my personal rules/desires for PPV fallout shows, whether ROH HonorClub numbers are disappointing, taking WWE for granted for their levels of production, and more.
Wardlow revealed on social media that he is a recent victim of car theft.
On Twitter Tuesday evening, Wardlow shared a video of his rental car, which had been broken into. Wardlow noted that everything in the car had been stolen, including his ring gear and the TNT Championship.
Might have new gear tomorrow. Will also have an abundance of frustration to take out to say the very least…. Damn pic.twitter.com/07un3lfhd9
“Well thanks to the person who broke into my rental car and took absolutely everything from me,” Wardlow says in the video. “My TNT title, my ring gear, my boots, my whole life were in those bags. I don’t know if that means I’ll have to beat the s*** out of Hobbs in these clothes I’m wearing right now, but one way or another I’m going to make it to Sacramento and we’re going to get this s*** done. Whoever did do ths, better thank God I didn’t catch you in the act as your jaw would be as shattered as this glass is.”
Wardlow won the TNT Championship from Samoa Joe at AEW Revolution this past Sunday in San Francisco. On Wednesday, he will have his first title defense against Powerhouse Hobbs.
Wardlow is now a two-time TNT Champion after choking out Samoa Joe to reclaim the gold at Sunday’s AEW Revolution.
In a physical bout that had to follow the spectacle that was Jon Moxley and Hangman Page’s Texas Death match, Joe had Wardlow in trouble on several occasions but Wardlow was able to press on.
The end came when Wardlow, not known for submissions, clamped on a rear naked choke that rendered Joe unconscious. The win gives Wardlow a measure of revenge after Joe defeated him on Dynamite last December and cut his hair afterward.
Wardlow will now defend the title against Powerhouse Hobbs on Wednesday’s Dynamite by virtue of Hobbs’ victory in the Face of the Revolution ladder match last Wednesday. This will be their first-ever singles match.
Joe and Wardlow were briefly teammates in 2022 before Joe ultimately turned on him. At November’s Full Gear, Joe defeated Wardlow (then champion) and Hobbs in a three-way to win the title. He would eventually lose it to Darby Allin and regain it nearly a month later.
Since losing his rematch to then-TNT Champion Samoa Joe in late-December and having his hair cut afterward, former TNT Champion Wardlow has been absent from AEW TV.
In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer explained the reason: he’s injured.
While not going into specifics about what the injury is or how it was suffered, Meltzer said it’s “not believed to be one that will keep him out of action for a long time.”
Since last April, Wardlow had been on a roll, going undefeated in both singles and tag team matches — a streak that ended at last November’s Full Gear when he lost the TNT title to Samoa Joe in a three-way that also included Powerhouse Hobbs.
After a two-minute Rampage win in mid-December, he then lost to Joe by referee stoppage and hasn’t been seen on TV since.
Joe, meanwhile, lost the TNT title to Darby Allin in January and will get his own rematch on this Wednesday’s Dynamite in an anything goes match.
