10 Worst Title Reigns In AEW So Far
AEW has introduced a lot of championships, but not every wrestler has been successful with them.
Championships in professional wrestling should be the most important thing to strive for, which is why it is important to preserve the aura of an accolade. Champions must be presented well; as the old adage goes "It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles." It is unlikely that Machiavelli was talking about wrestling when he said this, but it remains a good point all the same.
AEW has introduced seven titles for wrestlers to fight for, whilst also promoting the FTW title and the bulk of Ring of Honor's championships on its programming. Most of the titles have been booked tremendously thus far, but there have been some reigns that have failed to build the prestige of a belt.
It is crucial that AEW continues to preserve the luster of their championships, as one or two poorly booked title reigns can quickly diminish the power they have as prizes to fight for. They only need to take a look at their main competition in WWE, who have routinely dismissed the importance of championships, particularly with their mid-card titles.
10. Wardlow (TNT Championship, 136 Days)
Wardlow had a decent, if not great reign with the TNT Championship, but it also cooled off the big man who was red hot after defeating MJF at Double or Nothing earlier on in 2022.
'Mr. Mayhem' definitely should have won the title on his first attempt at St. Paddy's Day Slam, but his eventual coronation was delayed for some reason. Scorpio Sky and Sammy Guevara would instead continue to trade the belt on a number of occasions, whilst Wardlow sat around waiting for another opportunity at the gold.
When he eventually won it, there was no immediate plan for the Ohio native, who did have good matches with the likes of Orange Cassidy, Brian Cage, and Matt Taven whilst holding the title. Wardlow's stock had fallen so much over the course of 2022 that fans welcomed the title change when he dropped the belt to Samoa Joe in a three-way match also involving Powerhouse Hobbs.
Wardlow's TNT Championship reign would have been good for a star that was in the ascendancy, but he had already started to peak in popularity during the MJF feud. He is by no means done as a future World champion, but AEW has some work to get him back to the level he was pereviously.