Wardlow spotted with many WWE stars, including Kofi Kingston, during AEW hiatus
AEW star Wardlow, who has been absent with television for some time now, was recently spotted with WWE Superstars like Kofi Kingston and Shawn Spears. Mr. Mayhem is a former TNT Champion.
The 36-year-old was expected by many to become one of the major players in AEW ever since he was paired up with MJF as his bodyguard. Wardlow turned on MJF in 2022 and kickstarted his singles run which brought him three reigns with the TNT Championship. However, his booking has been underwhelming since as he has switched from being a babyface back to a heel and joined the Undisputed Kingdom in December 2023. Wardlow's last televised appearance was at Dynamite: Big Business where he lost to Samoa Joe.
In a recent post on her X (fka Twitter) account, AEW's Lady Frost posted a group photo with Kofi Kingston, Kiana James, Wardlow, and Shawn Spears from a recent red carpet event.
"Runway gang," she posted along with the photo.
Bill Apter would put WWE Hall of Famer as the manager of AEW star Wardlow
Senior Editor Bill Apter, who is a huge fan of Wardlow, has pitched a possible creative direction for the former TNT Champion. In a recent edition of Sportskeeda's SmackTalk podcast, Bill Apter noted how Wardlow not getting a contract from the WWE might be due to his voice not matching his body.
He further explained how he would have booked Mr. Mayhem in the Jacksonville-based promotion. Apter stated that he would have made Jeff Jarrett as Wardlow's manager, which could put massive heat on the former TNT Champion.
"I've said this on so many shows and in our newsletter as well. What the hell did they do with Wardlow? This guy could've been Batista part two. You know what the WWE would've done with this guy? The main issue with Wardlow in WWE - I was talking with another wrestler about this the other night - is his voice didn't match his body. So what I would've done - the logical guy to be his manager would've been Jeff Jarrett. Can you imagine the heat of Jeff Jarrett being Wardlow's manager?" he said. [From 1:15:00 to 1:16:30]
Wardlow has not been seen in AEW since March. It will be interesting to see when the company decides to bring him back to television.