It’s hard to believe, when watching him compete on “Dynamite” nowadays, that there was once a time when Wardlow would regularly receive some of the biggest reactions on AEW television. Sure, he’s straddling the line of being a heel due to his aggressive tendencies, but the half-hearted chants of his name coincide with the lackluster booking of his character, which is why he has fallen off so badly.

AEW giving Wardlow a lengthy break from television was a wise move, but since his return, it has been routine squash matches and brief threats that he wants to take the AEW World Championship from MJF. This week was no different, and while his match against AR Fox was slightly more competitive than what he has been doing as of late, it was still essentially the same thing. Wardlow dominated the match and left Fox lying, but ultimately the audience didn’t care. That’s because they’re no longer invested in “Mr. Mayhem,” and at the moment, AEW isn’t providing much reason to. Everything feels very one-note with him, which shouldn’t be the case for someone so explosive inside the ring, who can blend powerhouse and aerial styles and who has a genuine grievance for wanting to challenge MJF.

Unfortunately, Wardlow is at the back of the line as far as the world title is concerned, and he needs heating back up properly before Tony Khan should even consider booking that match (assuming, of course, he’s not part of the Devil’s group). But in order to achieve that, he needs to be doing more than the same routine squash matches that he has done far too often throughout his career. It’s Wardlow booking 101 at this point, and while it has worked in the past, it isn’t anymore.

Written by Matthew Wilkinson