Prominent AEW star channels WWE legend Batista to reject popular faction's offer

AEW stars often pay homage to some of their favorite former and current WWE stars, and many have made references to Batista over the years. Former TNT Champion Wardlow recently made yet another reference to The Animal after a stable approached him for recruitment.

Many fans have compared Wardlow to Batista ever since he first broke into AEW, and the star has admitted to being inspired by The Animal in his youth. Despite this, Wardlow has made efforts to establish himself but couldn't miss out on poking fun during a recent segment on Being The Elite.

During the latest Being The Elite, Wardlow began his slew of references by turning the three stars down by saying, "I walk alone," which the AEW stars believed was a reference to Batista's theme song, which the War Dog firmly denied.

Notably, Wardlow only recognized Batista by his real name Dave Bautista and referred to him as an actor. Before parting ways with The Dark Order, the star additionally emulated The Animal's signature entrance "machine guns."

Wardlow's antics might have entertained fans and annoyed The Dark Order. Still, the star has a far more imminent threat approaching, as former WWE Superstar Ryback recently singled out the War Dog as a potential opponent.

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Jim Cornette believes that AEW has done irreparable damage to Wardlow's run

Other than Batista, Wardlow has often been compared to Goldberg, who was one of the biggest stars in pro wrestling during the late 90s/early 2000s. Much like Goldberg, The War Dog had a massive fan following that he might have now unfortunately lost.

During an episode of The Jim Cornette Experience, the wrestling veteran questioned how Tony Khan could have fumbled with Wardlow.

"How did Wardlow get sideways with somebody and who is that person? Because they were going crazy for him like how Goldberg was coming out... So the way to try and eliminate the damage that may have been done, in Tony Khan’s eyes, was to book Wardlow in a program with a fake lawyer and unnamed security," said Cornette. [From 05:02 onward]

It remains to be seen if the former TNT Champion will be able to regain some of the momentum he lost due to his booking and recent injury. Only time will tell, but AEW fans will likely not miss out.