"He's buddying up with the puddin' gang" - WWE veteran slams AEW TNT Champion Wardlow's presentation in a recent feud
Former WWE manager Jim Cornette lambasted AEW's usage of TNT Champion Wardlow in a recent feud.
Last week on Dynamite, Jay Lethal defeated Orange Cassidy and almost put the latter on the Figure Four leglock. Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta) then intervened. Afterward, Mr. Mayhem arrived to chase away Lethal, Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh.
Dutt challenged Mr. Mayhem to put his TNT Championship on the line at the Battle of the Belts III, which the latter obliged emphatically.
Speaking on The Jim Cornette Experience, Cornette said while the match would be good, the build-up was clearly lacking. He then criticized the AEW star's latest association with Best Friends and Orange Cassidy, which started a few weeks ago on Rampage. It began when the TNT Champion saved the popular trio in a post-match assault by Singh, Lethal and Dutt.
"That's going to be a good match but with this build up? Again, they worked so hard, they all worked so hard. Wardlow becomes a phenomenon and now he's buddying up with the puddin' gang. They all worked so hard," Cornette said. [5:46 - 6:06]
Check out the clips from this episode here:
Wardlow successfully defended his TNT Championship against Jay Lethal on AEW Battle of the Belts III
During the title bout, Jay Lethal tried to go for a Figure Four but Wardlow prevented it. Black Machismo then went into a jackknife cover on the champion, only for a near-fall.
The two contestants went on a thrilling exchange with Mr. Mayhem going for a powerbomb, but Lethal kept evading it using his quickness. In the end, The War Dog hit a massive headbutt, a clothesline and a powerbomb on Black Machismo to retain his TNT Championship.
Art 🤌 #AEWBattleOfTheBelts III https://t.co/N28Mef7RUf
However, the champion's night didn't end rosy as he was quickly assaulted by Lethal's cohorts, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt. The beatdown was concluded by Singh chokeslamming Mr. Mayhem through a table to send an emphatic message.
After what happened in the TNT Title post-match fiasco, it looks like Lethal and Wardlow's rivalry will not end soon. It will be interesting to see if there's more in store in the feud between the two gifted athletes.
Do you want to see a rematch between Jay Lethal and Wardlow for the AEW TNT Championship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Please credit The Jim Cornette Experience and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling when using quotes from this article.