“He was literally Goldberg”- AEW’s booking of former champion questioned by ex-WWE name

Former TNT Champion Wardlow made his AEW return at Forbidden Door last week. In a surprising move, he went after the former AEW World Champion, Swerve Strickland, and his associate, Prince Nana, and joined The Don Callis Family. Recently, an ex-WWE name questioned this idea of putting the 37-year-old in the picture following such a long hiatus.

Stevie Richards recently discussed Wardlow's booking in All Elite Wrestling on his podcast. Surprisingly, the ex-WWE star called out the former TNT Champion as someone similar to WWE legend Goldberg. Before going on a hiatus, the 37-year-old was working as a babyface in the company. His character was over among the fans, with many calling him the next big thing in All Elite Wrestling.

Speaking on The Stevie Richards Show, Richards said that the company had everything on a plate with Wardlow to launch him as the next big star. However, by reintroducing him as a heel, Tony Khan has seemingly ruined the momentum he had before his hiatus. The former ECW star mentioned that his booking as a heel would tarnish the connection he had built with the fans over the past year.

Moreover, the former WWE star added that Tony Khan should have booked Wardlow in a way that played to his strengths. With a steady build, Richards believed that the 37-year-old could have been AEW's version of Goldberg down the line.

"He was Goldberg. So, I.. I don't understand. He had a He had such This is an AEW creative problem, not a Wardlow problem, please. Even though you said he probably didn't do himself any favors, but Wardlow had lightning in the bottle. AEW had lightning in the bottle. He was literally Goldberg and they decided to book him sideways away from his strengths and then he disappears," he said.

Check out Richards' full thoughts below:

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Stevie Richards suggested what he would have done with Wardlow in AEW

Wardlow is incredibly popular among fans. Therefore, his return following a long hiatus made waves among those who followed the promotion. Stevie Richards gave his thoughts on how he would have booked the former TNT Champion if he had the opportunity in All Elite Wrestling's creative.

On the same episode of The Stevie Richards Show, he explained that he would have brought Wardlow back as a returning star and booked him in a few singles matches against local talent to test him in the ring.

"What I would have done is I would have had Wardlow come back as a return, fed him locals for like four to six or eight weeks, have him have that huge babyface pop. See how over he is, if you can recapture that," he said.

Richards noted that this approach could have reignited the babyface connection Wardlow once had with fans before his hiatus. That said, what is in store for the 37-year-old remains under wraps for now, which makes it interesting to see how Tony Khan will book the newest member of The Don Callis Family from here on.

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If you use quotes from here, please credit The Stevie Richards Show and give an H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcription.