Wardlow Crashes Indie Show With His AEW TNT Title

Since its inception, AEW has had a policy that largely allows its wrestlers the opportunity to appear on independent shows on dates that they do not have prior obligations with the company. Despite this, some AEW stars save their energy, commit fully to AEW, and do not take advantage of their abilities to accept outside dates. This has long been the case for Wardlow, who has only appeared on a single independent wrestling show since becoming a recurring fixture of AEW programming. However, on August 20th, Wardlow did make an appearance at an independent wrestling show in a surprise that no fan in attendance saw coming.

Making his presence known at a Revenge Pro Wrestling event entitled "Press Your Luck," Wardlow made sure to give the Erie crowd exactly what they wanted to see. The reigning AEW TNT Champion quickly dismantled "The Man Dime" Elijah Dean, delivering a powerbomb to the indie star before pinning him with a single foot to the chest. Dean has been a recurring foe of Wardlow's over the years, though the feud has been entirely one-sided in the TNT Champion's favor.

Revenge Pro Wrestling is an organization that runs shows in Erie, Pennsylvania, and was one of the only places to see Wardlow compete before he arrived in AEW. Wardlow wrestled for the company throughout 2018 and 2019, eventually becoming the inaugural Revenge Pro World Champion at The Battle Of Lake Erie 2022. The AEW star lost the championship months later to independent wrestling star Pretty Boy Smooth.