Wardlow has been notably absent from AEW television recently, but he continues to stay involved behind the scenes at various events. Fightful Select reported that he was present backstage during the August 6th episode of AEW Dynamite, which took place in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, and he was also seen on July 12th at AEW. During his time off from AEW programming, Wardlow took part as a gladiator in the rebooted “American Gladiators” series, which reportedly completed two seasons of filming in the UK by mid-July. AEW is currently discussing ideas on how to bring Wardlow back into TV storylines, though no concrete details have been shared.
The “American Gladiators” reboot features several wrestlers alongside Wardlow, such as Kamil, former WWE star Rick Boogues (Eric Bugenhagen), ex-OVW women’s champion J Rod, and former TNA star Pektaller (Jesse Goddells). The show, hosted by former WWE champion Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, will stream on Prime Video. Notably, both WWE and AEW have not expressed concerns about the wrestler crossover in this series.
Wardlow’s last AEW appearance was in April 2024 during an event where he aided Roderick Strong in his championship defense against Kyle O’Reilly. The month before, Wardlow had an unsuccessful AEW World Championship match against Samoa Joe on “AEW Dynamite: Big Business.”
Fan Take: Wardlow’s absence and participation in “American Gladiators” highlight AEW’s evolving approach to talent visibility beyond traditional wrestling shows, offering fresh opportunities for crossover appeal. AEW fans should be excited to see how his return is creatively handled, as it could bring new storylines and energize the AEW platform.
