AEW sends a two-word message to Wardlow amid lengthy absence

Wardlow has been absent from AEW television since March 2024. However, considering his lengthy absence, the promotion recently sent an interesting message to Mr. Mayhem.

In December 2023, Wardlow was revealed as one of the masked henchmen of The Undisputed Kingdom. It seemed like AEW had big plans for the former TNT Champion in the group. However, that was not the case. At AEW Dynamite Big Business in March 2024, he unsuccessfully challenged Samoa Joe for the World Title. Since then, Mr. Mayhem has been absent from television.

Wardlow turned 37 on January 19, 2025, and surprisingly, AEW's official X/Twitter account wished him a happy birthday.

"Happy Birthday! @RealWardlow."

The Undisputed Kingdom has also seemingly moved on from Wardlow, as they have barely mentioned him since the group expanded following Adam Cole's return.

Bill Apter explains how AEW can use Wardlow

Wardlow has been one of the most underutilized talents in All Elite Wrestling. Many veterans have spoken about his situation and questioned why the promotion isn't using him on television.

In an episode of Sportskeeda's Smack Talk podcast, Wrestling veteran Bill Apter claimed that Wardlow could have been like Batista but pointed out how his voice holds him back from reaching the top. Apter suggested appointing Jeff Jarrett as Mr. Mayhem's manager as Double J is a great talker and could generate enormous heat for the Wardog.

"I've said this on so many shows and in our newsletter as well. What the hell did they do with Wardlow? This guy could've been Batista part two. You know what the WWE would've done with this guy? The main issue with Wardlow in WWE—I was talking with another wrestler about this the other night—is his voice didn't match his body. So what I would've done—the logical guy to be his manager would've been Jeff Jarrett. Can you imagine the heat of Jeff Jarrett being Wardlow's manager?" he said. [From 1:15:00 to 1:16:30]

Wardlow has been with the Jacksonville-based company since its inception. While he is a former three-time TNT Champion, the Wardog has not been in a major singles storyline since his rivalry with MJF in 2022. We will have to wait and see if Tony Khan brings him back to All Elite Wrestling programming later this year.