Wardlow's Time Off Gave Him Time To Recuperate And Reflect On His Dad's Death

Wardlow's sit-down interview with Jim Ross on the February 15 "AEW Dynamite" breathed personal history and emotion into his feud with Samoa Joe. Wardlow opening up about his father's death came after a four-week absence from AEW programming. On "Busted Open," Wardlow described how his time away led to his tell-all with J.R.

"I had four weeks off and that gave me a lot of time to think," Wardlow said. "That's the first time I've had off since starting in AEW three years ago. I haven't had a single week off since I started, and those four weeks gave me so much time not only to heal physically but mentally to really clear my head"

On the December 28 "Dynamite," Wardlow lost the TNT Championship to Samoa Joe. Afterward, Joe cut off a large portion of Wardlow's hair. Wardlow was missing from AEW programming until he returned on the February 1 "Dynamite." Wardlow said his decision to disclose his late father's connection to his grown-out hair came to him during his time away. He said that he felt he had to "be real" and "let it all out."

"I just wish I had the opportunity to give him a better life, especially at that time in my life. When I first started wrestling, there's a reason I started late," he said, "I wasn't an angel myself. I had my own demons and struggles. I was still dealing with all that. So I really didn't even know how to process what was happening at the time. It was just a horrible time for me. I'm just happy I made it out of all of it."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open" with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.