5 AEW stars who should win the Diamond Ring Battle Royal - 2 time IMPACT Tag Champion, 6 time X-Division Champion
AEW's Diamond Ring Battle Royal is set for this Wednesday's episode of AEW Dynamite. So far only four participants have been announced, namely MJF, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricky Starks, and Dante Martin. While we wait on the rest of the participants to be announced, let's run through a few wrestlers who could do well with a win this year.
For those who forgot the rules, here's a brief rundown: The winner of the match gets possession of the diamond ring for a year. The final two wrestlers compete in a singles match after the first ten are eliminated.
So far the AEW Diamond Ring Battle Royal has been won by MJF on both occasions. The ring he sports during his entrance, as well as the weapons he uses to win, is the prize each year.
MJF could very well pick up another win, and it would be odd to see him without it. However, MJF has been making a lot of enemies in AEW, and any one of them could cheat to win like he has.
5. Wardlow could win the AEW Diamond Ring Battle Royal in an upset, begining his turn away from MJF
Wardlow and MJF's relationship has slowly been strained by MJF's actions. While fans might not like Wardlow right now, as he's been a goon for MJF, he could pick up by turning on him.
Wardlow is impressive in the ring and has been held down by being MJF's bodyguard. In his few singles matches in AEW, he's either been put up against jobbers, or had some surprisingly good bouts. During the Inner Circle vs The Pinnacle feud, Wardlow faced off against Jake Hager in what proved to be a surprisingly good match. Wardlow failed to win, but showed that he was far more than just a bodyguard.
Having Wardlow turn on MJF could be done right here, or even with an unintended win. MJF could be upset about the win, creating a throwback to Evolution's crumble, but instead with Wardlow acting as AEW's Batista. While AEW should avoid as many immitations of WWE's past, this could be a refreshing angle. The Pinnacle have been very removed from each other and some inner conflict could be what they need to make a comeback.
Regardless of the reasoning behind it, Wardlow needs to get out of MJF's shadow to succeed in AEW. Whether or not Wardlow wins the battle royal, he should separate from MJF after the finale of AEW's Diamond Battle Royal.