Jon Moxley's biggest threat, Major alliance? - 4 ways Wardlow could make his return to AEW

There have been a lot of concerns about the future of Wardlow in AEW. The Ohio native's booking in the promotion has had its share of critics, among veterans and viewers alike. The War Dog has been missing from the squared circle since March 2024, and according to one of his recent stablemates, he is currently dealing with an injury.

While it may seem like the All Elite roster is too oversaturated to allow Wardlow a place to shine, the 36-year-old star has already had a decorated career in the company, with multiple championship runs to his name, and an undeniable connection with the crowd owing to his development in AEW so far. According to a recent report, he was present backstage at Fright Night Dynamite last month.

As such, there are several ways to incorporate the powerhouse in the company's ongoing televised programming.

Let us explore four such ways Wardlow could return to All Elite Wrestling.

#1: Wardlow joins forces with MJF or Adam Cole

Two top All Elite talents Wardlow has been closely tied to over the course of his tenure in the company so far are MJF and Adam Cole. The latter had introduced The War Dog as a member of The Undisputed Kingdom while betraying the former at Worlds End 2023, an alliance seemingly fueled by Cole and Wardlow's shared hatred for Friedman.

However, The Panama City Playboy openly voiced his frustrations over Wardlow's failed attempt at bringing the AEW World Title to him from Samoa Joe at Dynamite: Big Business 2024, assigning him a new task afterward.

However, since suffering a car accident in April, and owing to injury presumably in the aftermath, Wardlow has not been featured on AEW programming lately. In the meantime, The Undisputed Kingdom has seemingly all but forgotten about him - a fact that MJF, who is currently trying to dodge both Adam Cole and Roderick Strong, could use to manipulate Wardlow into joining forces with him once again.

Alternatively, Wardlow could outsmart and turn down MJF to reunite with Cole, Strong, and The Kingdom, cementing himself as a babyface along with his stable-mates. He could also compete alongside Mike Bennett and Matt Taven in the trios division.

#2: Wardlow goes solo, enters the International Title picture

AEW could also choose to book Wardlow to return to being a singles star by having him turn on both Adam Cole and MJF for subordinating him to their own needs. He could then go after the International Championship - a title currently held by Cole's opponent for next week, Konosuke Takeshita. It is a title once held, and briefly re-branded, by Friedman earlier this year.

MJF with the AEW American (now International) Title [Source: MJF's X profile]

Introducing Wardlow into the International Championship picture could lead to first-time-ever blockbuster matches between Mr. Mayhem and Takeshita, Will Ospreay, Ricochet, Kyle Fletcher, and more. The title could also be on the line for a long-anticipated re-match between Wardlow and MJF or for Wardlow's first-ever bout against Adam Cole.

#3: Wardlow tries to regain the TNT Championship

Wardlow's last reign as TNT Champion came to a controversial end on the debut episode of AEW Collision in June last year, when he was dethroned by Killswitch courtesy of a major assist from Christian Cage. The title currently belongs to Jack Perry of The Elite, although crowd-favorite Daniel Garcia is also seemingly planning to make a play for the belt.

Should Wardlow decide to try and reclaim the TNT Championship, he would be on a collision course against Perry, whom he hasn't faced in singles or multi-person action since 2020, back when The Scapegoat was still going by the Jungle Boy moniker. It could also lead to the 6'3" in star squaring off against Danny Garcia, and possibly a returning Adam Copeland in a major title or contenders' bout later down the line.

#4: Wardlow challenges Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship

Several viewers of All Elite Wrestling agree that Wardlow belongs in the AEW World Championship conversation. The title is currently held by Jon Moxley, whose group has been terrorizing the Jacksonville-based promotion's roster for several weeks now. The One True King has been cryptic with regard to his motives, although he seems to want to inspire, albeit violently, wrestlers on the All Elite roster to step up their game and intensity.

An easy and exciting way to boost Wardlow's AEW career right now could be to present him as a dominant but unaffiliated babyface standing up to The Death Riders, similar to how Moxley himself opposed then-World Champion Chris Jericho and his Inner Circle in 2020.

This, in turn, could lead to a blockbuster first-time-ever match between Wardlow and The Purveyor of Violence for the latter's belt.