10 Wrestlers AEW Must Push In 2022

'This Is War' is going to be a pitch perfect theme when Wardlow finally turns face on MJF.

The cranky king of the Powerbomb Symphony is establishing a surprisingly strong connection with crowds at the moment. Carrying himself like a non-nonsense tough guy, Wardlow's total destruction of hapless jobbers has proven to be a fun reoccurring segment on Dynamite of late.

It appears Tony Khan and co. are well aware of Wardlow's budding popularity. His slow burn face turn is heating up as he grows more and more frustrated with 'The Salt of the Earth' and Shawn Spears' insipid antics. His recent match with CM Punk told a rather curious story as well.

Wardlow clearly had 'The Second City Saint' beat. He'd powerbombed the pipebomb promo master into oblivion and received a fairly positive reaction for doing it despite being the clear heel of the two. Thanks to MJF's meddling, however, Wardlow found himself snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. His subsequent tiff with his scarf-loving boss cranked up the crowd heat and then some as well.

Assuming Wardlow is fully repackaged as a babyface in the coming months, the sky could be the limit for the big hoss. He has a quiet charisma about him and an explosive repertoire of strongman moves to please crowds with. If handled correctly, he could be AEW's breakout star of 2022.