8 Wrestlers Cody Helped To Get Over In AEW
4. Wardlow
Wardlow is an absolute beast of a professional wrestler but when he faced Cody he was also very young and very new. It was fine for Cody to win their match because at this point Wardlow was a cog in a much larger story. His time would come.
That being said, Wardlow resonated as a big deal simply because he was placed as the ultimate challenge on Cody’s hero’s journey to earn a match against MJF.
Sure, Wardlow could have beaten a few midcard guys instead of losing his first match but putting him in against Cody elevated him irrespective of the result. At the time Cody was presented as the ultimate white meat babyface. Which made Wardlow the ultimate monster heel.
Plus it was no easy victory for Cody who found himself lawn-darted into the steel cage and screaming in agony as the bigger man ground his face against the steel cage. Wardlow for his part absorbed a disaster kick without even taking a knee.
Ultimately it took a literal leap of faith in the form of a terrifying moonsault off the top of the cage to put Wardlow away. The implication? Anyone hoping to put this guy down is going to have to go to extreme lengths.