Bully Ray says that a top AEW star may have to step away for some time to rehabilitate his character in the promotion.
Wardlow, who only recently returned to AEW programming, lost the TNT Championship on the latest edition of Dynamite, mere days after winning the title from Samoa Joe at Revolution 2023.
At one point, Warlow could have been positioned as the face of the company. Now, his stock has faded and the former Pinnacle member seems worlds away from being a top star.
Speaking on the Busted Open podcast, Bully Ray said that time away from AEW may be what's best for Mr. Mayhem.
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"Unfortunately, going away is the only answer, and it’s an absolute horrible answer to have to deal with. This guy just came back. Talked about his father passing away, cut his hair, yada yada."
According to the WWE and ECW legend, Wardlow's momentum has promptly halted due to bad booking, despite previously being one of the most popular stars in the company.
“This guy is one more poor decision away from dead in the water,” said Ray.
Bully Ray says Wardlow was AEW's Goldberg
At his peak popularity, Wardlow decimated his opponents and got organically over with fans as a result. Bully Ray compared this time in Wardlow's career to that of Goldberg in WCW.
Wardlow's return to television was supposed to signal a reinvention of the character, but these plans quickly floundered.
“This is supposed to be the rebirth, the second chance, […] the next evolution, generation of Wardlow. Which we couldn’t understand why we were getting in the first place because AEW had their homegrown Goldberg with Wardlow.”
With Wardlow's popularity waning and Powerhouse Hobbs now holding the TNT Championship, perhaps another spell away from television or a run with a different promotion could help The War Dog recapture some of the magic he once had.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Busted Open Radio with a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling.