10 Biggest Missed Opportunities From AEW So Far

8. Wardlow Losing In His First Match After Months Of Build

There are usually positives to be found in disappointing situations. Wardlow had one of Cody’s best matches in his entire AEW so far, a fantastic steel cage match that actually allowed Cody to truly live out his classic southern babyface fantasies. It has been one of the highlights of Dynamite’s first year on television, and should have propelled its talented antagonist to superstardom.

Unfortunately, despite his debut being teased since All Out, Wardlow’s big debut ended in him taking a clean loss and ever since, he has played second in command to the much less versatile MJF. Despite Wardlow’s incredible physical skill, great look and consistently impressive performances across Dynamite and Dark, he has been relegated to a sidekick and it’s uncertain whether that will change anytime soon.

Wardlow losing isn’t necessarily the issue, if booked properly afterwards, the heavyweight could have had a natural angle with Cody in the future, with Wardlow desperate to destroy the man who humiliated him on his debut. Yet, nothing came out of it for Wardlow himself and his initial aura from his debut has been damaged in subsequent months. AEW’s dubious track record with booking monster heels has sadly affected him thus far. Hopefully he truly breaks out after All Out.