6 Ups & 3 Downs For AEW Collision (Dec 9 - Results & Review)

4. Continuing In The Right Direction

AEW Collision Willie Mack Wardlow
AEW

Few talents have been as bungled in AEW as Wardlow, with how expertly he was used in his formative days making it all the more baffling to see how badly the ball was dropped once the War Dog decimated MJF at Double or Nothing 2022.

Still, since Mr. Mayhem returned to action in October, slowly but surely we're getting back to what established Wardlow as one of hottest acts in the company. Namely, he's brutalising fools in comprehensive, impactful fashion.

For the most part, said fools have been enhancement talents or low-totem names. That's not to say Willie Mack - an incredibly talented fella in his own right - is particularly viewed as a big deal in AEW or ROH, but he did at least feel like a smidge more of a challenge for Wardlow than, say, Griff Garrison or Ryan Nemeth.

For those who've seen Mack compete for the likes of IMPACT, GCW, Lucha Underground, or AAA, you'll be well aware what this athletic powerhouse can bring to the table. However, that wasn't what Willie was here for on AEW Collision. Instead, he was here as a slightly bigger threat to Wardlow than the names the three-time TNT Champion has faced in recent weeks; a slightly bigger threat who'd put up a valiant effort but ultimately be left laying and looking at the lights.

It would take just over three minutes, but Wardlow got the ref stoppage win after hitting his Last Ride-infused powerbomb on Mack. Again, this continues to keep the former Pinnacle man moving in the right direction, all as his issues with MJF linger on in the background.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.