Wardlow Addresses Blurry Line Between Pro Wrestlers' In-Ring And Backstage Personas

Wardlow's run as AEW TNT Champion, which started back in July, was seemingly put on the back burner in the lead-up to All Out 2022, but was addressed by Wardlow soon after the PPV took place. Following his victory over Tony Nese on the September 7th episode of "AEW Dynamite," Wardlow promised to remind everyone that he refuses to slow down and lose momentum as the TNT Champion. And in a recent interview with "Dynamite Download," Wardlow said that this promise was far more than merely an in-character promo.

When asked about the segment, Wardlow was quick to point out that it was not him calling out the roster but rather "calling out the business" in general.

"The thing is, that wasn't a promo," Wardlow explained. "That was very real ... The line between who you see on TV and who's in real life can be very, very blurry at times."

Wardlow has previously touched on the idea of trying to avoid stagnation. In August, the TNT Champion noted that he was feeling "off" following his win over MJF at Double or Nothing 2022. Wardlow went on to say that his recent promo was a way to fire himself up and push himself to elevate the TNT Championship moving forward.

"Do I feel like maybe I dropped the ball a little bit? Maybe," Wardlow admitted. "But I owe it to the fans, and I owe it to myself, to turn it up, and it's time for me to challenge next-level people."