While The Young Bucks‘ Being the Elite helped with kayfabe narrative leading up to All Elite Wrestling (AEW)‘s Double or Nothing, Cody Rhodes‘ Road to Double or Nothing series was a stark contrast. While BTE is classic sketch comedy, Road to Double or Nothing was more of a reality series following AEW’s creative process and business offices working to build the company and starting line-up for it’s first PPV. The series concluded last week with some sadness. Good news though, as on Wednesday, Cody uploaded the first episode of The Road to Fyter Fest, a new series with the same format, but now following AEW into its next broadcast event, Fyter Fest, later this month.
Another fun watch, but if you’re an indie fan from the Midwest or Northeast area, you may have caught something during a moment when Cody and AEW executive Michael Cuellari (himself an indie wrestler better known as QT Marshall) are watching match footage of Cody’s Fyter Fest opponent, Darby Allin. Behind Cuellari’s head are the words “Wardlow vignette”.
Last April, as captured in the Road to Double or Nothing series, Rhodes was on a mission to get some “hosses” on the AEW roster (a term reserved for bigger, stronger, and thicker brawlers), and on mid-April edition of Jim Ross’ podcast, Rhodes had expressed some early interest in Wardlow. A 31-year old wrestler from Cleveland, Ohio, Wardlow has been a regular with Pennsylvania’s International Wrestling Cartel (IWC), and this year branched into some Midwest indies like Chicago’s Warrior Wrestling and Ohio’s Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW). Wardlow also attended a WWE try out last summer.
“I can mention that Michael Wardlow from Pittsburgh who’s an up-and-coming on the independent scene there,” Rhodes stated on Ross’ podcast. “He’s somebody we’ve looked strongly at. We haven’t fully committed in terms of a long-term deal, but we’re definitely looking to give him an opportunity at AEW.” It would appear that Wardlow at least has some vignettes and promos being prepared, so it looks like we may see the 3x IWC World Heavyweight Champion in AEW sooner than later.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
