Wardlow TNT Title Defense Announced For AEW Full Gear
AEW TNT Champion Wardlow will defend his title against Samoa Joe and Powerhouse Hobbs in a three-way match this Saturday at the Full Gear pay-per-view.
The title match was announced on the 11/16 "AEW Dynamite," where an amped-up Joe cut a promo explaining why he blindsided and ambushed Wardlow – his former tag team partner – on last week's show.
"Is it shocking for a man to refuse to play a victim?" Joe asked Tony Schiavone, as he downplayed the notion that his betrayal of Wardlow came out of left field. "Is it shocking to hear somebody state a fact that they want something from you, and you take it for face value and take action? Is it shocking that Wardlow, week after week, ran his mouth and failed to recognize the most dangerous man in the room? And for that mistake, he paid the ultimate price!"
Joe continued, "I refuse to wait around and be the victim, like the people sitting in this building, the kind of people who sit around and wait for the storm to hit, people who wait for someone to save them. I saved myself, and if anyone has a problem with that, they can take it up with me!"
Joe's promo was followed by both Hobbs and Wardlow hitting the ring, leading to an all-out brawl between the three behemoths, with the AEW locker room trying to separate them. AEW's announcers subsequently confirmed the three-way bout for Full Gear.
Prior to Joe's betrayal of Wardlow, it was believed that Mr. Mayhem would defend his title in a singles match against Hobbs, especially with Hobbs repeatedly calling out Wardlow over the past few weeks. With Joe being added to the mix, fans on social media believe AEW could pull off a title change while protecting Wardlow, who has not been pinned since his loss to Scorpio Sky on March 16, 2022.
Saturday's match will mark Wardlow's seventh AEW TNT Championship defense since he captured the title from Scorpio Sky on July 6. Since then, Wardlow has successfully retained against the likes of Ari Daivari, Brian Cage, Orange Cassidy, Jay Lethal, Ryan Nemeth and Tony Nese.