The reason behind a former AEW’s absence from TV has been reportedly revealed.
Wardlow has not been seen on Dynamite or Rampage in 2023. Mr. Mayhem’s last appearance for All Elite Wrestling came at the New Year’s Smash special episode of Dynamite, which aired on December 28th.
Former AEW TNT Champion Wardlow Has Been Absent For Over A Month
Wardlow would challenge Samoa Joe for the TNT Championship during the special edition episode, but was unsuccessful after Joe put the former TNT Champion to sleep. After the match, Joe would grab a pair of scissors frim under the ring and cut off the ponytail of Wardlow.
Following the unwanted haircut, Wardlow has yet to return to get revenge on the man who took the TNT title from him, with no explanation of the absence explained by All Elite Wrestling.
An update on Wardlow has been provided courtesy of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. It is being reported that the former bodyguard of MJF is currently dealing with an injury, and the angle was done to allow Wardlow to take some time off. The injury reportedly took place around the time where Wardlow dropped the title to Joe, which was at the 2022 All Out pay-per-view.
The report concludes by stating that the injury is not one that is expected to keep Mr. Mayhem on the shelf for a long period of time.
Following the assault and humiliation of Wardlow, Samoa Joe was attacked by Darby Allin. One week later, Allin would defeat Joe to capture the TNT Title for the second time in his AEW career. Joe will attempt to reclaim the championship back from Darby Allin on February 1st, as the former TNT Champion will challenge Allin for the title in a No Holds Barred match.
When the rivalry between Wardlow and Samoa Joe concludes, it is possible that Mr. Mayhem moves on to defeat a former ally for the second time. If MJF can survive a 1 hour Iron Man match against Bryan Danielson at the Revolution pay-per-view, Wardlow may be next in line to try and defeat MJF and become the new AEW World Champion.