4 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Battle Of The Belts III

Ups...

4. Credibility Boosted

Wardlow Jay Lethal
AEW

Jay Lethal was a terrific opponent for Wardlow. The veteran knows how to wrestle all shapes and sizes, and he went above and beyond to make the reigning TNT Champion look like a million bucks out there. Their entire match was based around Lethal trying everything to counter Wardlow's freakish power.

OK, so this was a routine title defence for the champ and the belt was never realistically changing hands, but both guys meshed well and put on a tidy little TV match. Standout spots included Lethal's bump for Wardlow's huge wind-up lariat - that was special.

Lethal might actually be pro wrestling's MVP over the past month or so. He looked ace at ROH Death Before Dishonor, was the glue holding Ric Flair's "last match" together, and then worked wonders with one of AEW's rising homegrown stars here.

Wardlow came out of the bout looking better than he did going in, and that's all anyone can ask.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.