A new report has provided backstage details on the injury to Wardlow. The former TNT Champion’s unfortunate injury, which occurred almost immediately upon his return to television, has once again forced a significant shift in the main event scene for All Elite Wrestling.
According to a report from Fightful Select on September 8, Wardlow has sustained an injury that is feared to be a pectoral tear. The report, which cites Self Made PW, states that the injury occurred during his return angle at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view when he delivered a lariat to Prince Nana. A torn pectoral muscle is a serious injury that will likely sideline the powerhouse for a considerable amount of time.
It should be noted that AEW wasn’t planning a bout between Wardlow and the reigning AEW Men’s World Heavyweight Champion, “Hangman” Adam Page at all Out. The report notes, “AEW sources claim Fletcher was always the plan for All Out.”
Kyle Fletcher is now the official challenger for “Hangman” Page’s championship. The match was made on the September 10 episode of AEW Dynamite. The report does add that even if Fletcher was the original opponent, the angle would have been different, as “Fletcher and Wardlow also would have done some work alongside each other for this angle.”
Wardlow had been out of action for over a year with a previous injury before his return at Forbidden Door. He had been medically cleared for several months but was kept off television while he filmed the “American Gladiators” series. The report notes that there was a great deal of sympathy for him backstage, and that his injury was a “heavy point of conversation at MJF’s wedding last weekend.”
While the injury to Wardlow is an unfortunate one for all involved, AEW has been “happy with how the direction has panned out and the reception to Kyle Fletcher in a main event level spot.” The full report on the situation can be found on Fightful Select.
