"Don't F this up" - AEW star reveals what Tony Khan told him before his debut match against Cody Rhodes
Tony Khan simply told Wardlow not to mess up his debut match in AEW against Cody Rhodes.
The Pinnacle member assaulted Rhodes during his debut and then proceeded to join forces with MJF. However, the second-generation star defeated Wardlow during their encounter.
The 34-year-old AEW star was recently a guest on Insight With Chris Van Vliet. During the conversation, Wardlow opened up about his first All Elite Wrestling bout, which took place in a steel cage against Cody Rhodes and compared it to his recent match against CM Punk.
Wardlow said he had a lot more time to absorb the match with Punk while the pressure for the Cody Rhodes match was unreal, and he didn't remember much of it. Wardlow also revealed what AEW President Tony Khan told him right before he went out for the match:
"That [Steel Cage match with Cody Rhodes] is up there with the CM Punk match. The CM Punk match and the Cody match, they are the two best days and the two happiest days of my life. That was the same thing, but the difference is with [the] CM Punk match was that I took the time to enjoy myself. I finally just calmed down, looked around at the crowd, and I was in the moment. The Cody match was like a blackout, it was all business, it was, ‘Let’s get to this.’ I don’t remember much of the Cody match vividly like I do the CM Punk match. Just because there was so much pressure, first match, first time on TV and Cody and I had never touched. Before I walked out there, Tony Khan looked at me and he said, ‘Don’t F this up.’ It’s all the pressure in the world, but I thrive in high pressure situations, that’s what makes me." H/T: Post Wrestling
Check out the interview below:
What's next for Wardlow in AEW?
Available @ShopAEW …. can confirm you will run faster and lift heavier #Wardog🐺 https://t.co/cJchpn67p4
Over the last few months, All Elite Wrestling has slowly been teasing a rift between Wardlow and MJF, with MJF repeatedly mistreating Mr. Mayhem. We saw MJF's interference ending up costing Wardlow his match against CM Punk, after which Shawn Spears had to separate the two of them.
We got a backstage segment the following week where MJF docked Wardlow pay for daring to put his hands on him.