On the May 25th episode of AEW Dynamite, the commentary team snuck in a cryptic reference to former WWE Superstar Batista.
In recent months, as Wardlow has begun his climb to superstardom he has been increasingly compared to future WWE Hall of Famer Batista.
After all, both men started out as bodyguards, and acted as the enforcer in a stable fashioned after the legendary Four Horsemen. Fans have also drawn parallels between the presentation of the pair, as two stars who are equally at home in expensive suits as well as dishing out punishment in the ring. Interestingly, both men also use variations of a powerbomb to dish out that punishment.
On the May 25th edition of Dynamite, Wardlow met Shawn Spears in a Steel Cage Match with MJF serving as the special guest referee. For much of the match, MJF and Spears worked in tandem to dish out the punishment to Wardlow, who remained in handcuffs.
However, Mr Mayhem sensationally broke out of the handcuffs and fought back. In search of a further advantage, Spears headed to the outside and grabbed a chair. With MJF holding Wardlow, Spears swung for the fences but only managed to flatten the ‘Salt of the Earth’ with a brutal shot to the head.
As a stunned Shawn Spears came to terms with what he did, Wardlow rose from the mat behind him intent on revenge. Interestingly, as Wardlow climbed to his feet, Excalibur on commentary remarked that Wardlow rose like “a leviathan.”
Before Batista arrived on WWE’s main roster in May 2002, he appeared in developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling under the name Leviathan.
He's done it! @RealWardlow gets the victory over @ShawnSpears with a powerbomb onto the steel chair inside this steel cage! #AEWDynamite is LIVE on @TBSNetwork! pic.twitter.com/pbTV1z1UZY
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 26, 2022
Speaking exclusively to Inside The Ropes’ very own Kenny McIntosh, Wardlow recently addressed the comparisons to the star, admitting that they “made him blush.
With MJF planted firmly on the canvas, Wardlow delivered the Powerbomb Symphony to Spears, with the last Powerbomb coming on a steel chair. As referee Bryce Remsburg ran into the ring, Wardlow pinned his rival with one foot.
After the match he demolished a number of security guards before scaling the cage to taunt MJF.