Wardlow was reportedly backstage at AEW Double or Nothing 2026, which took place tonight in Queens, New York. According to Fightful Select, the former three-time AEW TNT Champion was in attendance at Louis Armstrong Stadium. However, there is still no confirmation that he will appear on the broadcast.

This update comes as Wardlow continues his long road back to in-ring competition. He has not wrestled for AEW since March 2024, when he last competed during his TNT Championship run before stepping away. Since then, his absence has raised questions among fans, especially given his previous position as one of the promotion’s dominant powerhouses.

Recent reports have noted that Wardlow has been present at multiple AEW events while working toward medical clearance. This approach is consistent with how AEW typically reintegrates injured talent. Wrestlers often attend shows and remain active behind the scenes to stay connected with the locker room before making a full return to television.

Wardlow briefly resurfaced at the 2025 AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door event in a surprise appearance. Despite the reaction, that moment did not lead to a sustained comeback. Not long after, reports indicated he may have suffered a torn pectoral muscle, further delaying any plans for a full-time return.

In April, Wardlow addressed his condition during an appearance on BCP+. He confirmed the earlier report regarding the pectoral injury. He also revealed that he tore his left bicep ahead of filming the American Gladiator reboot for Amazon Prime. Wardlow explained that he chose not to undergo surgery at the time and instead wore a sleeve during filming to conceal the visible effects of the injury.

As of now, AEW Double or Nothing 2026 features nine matches on the main card, along with three Buy In matches. While Wardlow’s presence backstage is confirmed, it remains unclear if fans will see him make an on-screen return tonight.

The Buy In:

• Divine Dominion (Megan Bayne and Lena Kross, c) vs Zayda Steel and Viva Van in a 5-Minute AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship Eliminator
• The Opps (HOOK, Anthony Bowens, and Katsuyori Shibata) vs Death Riders (Wheeler Yuta, Daniel Garcia, and Claudio Castagnoli)
• Boom & Doom and The Conglomeration vs Shane Taylor Promotions in a 10-Man Tag Team Match

The full AEW Double or Nothing 2026 main card:

• AEW World Championship Title vs Hair Match: Darby Allin (c) vs MJF
• AEW Women’s World Championship: Thekla (c) vs Jamie Hayter vs Kris Statlander vs Hikaru Shida
• AEW World Tag Team Championship I Quit Match: FTR (c) vs Cage and Cope
• AEW International Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Konosuke Takeshita
• AEW Continental Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs Kyle O’Reilly
• Stadium Stampede: Jericho, The Elite, and The Hurt Syndicate vs The Demand, The Don Callis Family, and The Dogs
• Owen Hart Men’s Tournament Quarterfinal: Will Ospreay vs Samoa Joe
• Owen Hart Men’s Tournament Quarterfinal: Swerve Strickland vs Bandido
• Owen Hart Women’s Tournament Quarterfinal: Athena vs Mina Shirakawa

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AEW talent Jack Perry has done a lot to separate himself from the “Jungle Boy” persona he originally debuted in the promotion with. Eventually, he began sporting a beard, adopted a meaner attitude, and established his “Scapegoat” gimmick in NJPW after the controversial exit of CM Punk following their altercation at AEW All In 2023. 

During an interview on “Talk Is Jericho,” Perry looked back at originally establishing his “Jungle Boy” gimmick on the independent circuit and what he initially wanted his character to be like. Recalling his first-ever indie event, Perry claimed he asked to go by the name Nate Coy, and that the announcer added on what would later become his moniker in AEW. 

“He’s like: ‘I have a nickname for you,’ while I’m in the ring, and I was like alright, and he goes: ‘Jungle Boy, Nate Coy!'” Perry explained. “Then he said it, I was like, ‘What a moron!’ Then, of course, that was the only part that stuck.”

Perry then opened up about what he loved about just being Jungle Boy, while admitting that it might have stunted his growth as a professional wrestler. “I was like, ‘I’m not going to talk. You’re trying to get me to say all this bulls**t that I don’t want to say that’s really against who I’m trying to be,'” he recalled. “I was like, ‘I don’t talk, I’m from the jungle, I’m a monkey. You have to watch me wrestle, and that’s it!'” 

Later in AEW, he quickly found out that he had to learn how to cut promos and had to start with Chris Jericho during their rivalry. He further admitted that his earlier promos were awful and felt that he did horrible at first, but added that he eventually felt more natural at it as he practiced more.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Talk Is Jericho,” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

It was one of those nights where “SmackDown” felt every bit of its three hours, but one of the bright spots was Carmelo Hayes calling out United States Champion Trick Williams. Sure, Williams cost Hayes the gold over a month ago, before WrestleMania, but at least we’re following up on a storyline rather than WWE expecting us to forget.

Which is great, considering all of the mega-fans of Hayes (myself included) were not going to let it slide, especially with the history between the two men. They had a great feud in “WWE NXT” before Hayes was the first to be called up, and it was inevitable that they’d be back on the crash course after Williams won the United States Championship.

I really liked that when Hayes confronted Williams tonight, he made it clear he wasn’t going out there to try and discredit the champion for everything he’s accomplished so far in such a short amount of time. Hayes said he always believed in his former friend, but there’s a huge difference between holding a championship and being a champion. He called him out for a rematch for the gold tonight, but Williams reminded everyone that the US Championship Open Challenge ended with him, but he’d give ‘Melo an “a** whooping for free,” meaning a match without the title.

Lil Yachty was great through all of this, and by that, I mean he didn’t take up too much of the spotlight. He pulled out Williams “schedule” ahead of the match as if he were penciling Hayes in, then almost went after him with a kendo stick on the outside. His involvement was good, and just enough.

I know these guys were involved in a triple threat match since Williams’ call-up a while ago, but it was so nice to see them in singles action. They have so much chemistry, but with Williams currently the bigger deal on “SmackDown” with the title, him throwing Hayes around just felt so different from their time in “NXT,” when Williams was Hayes’ sidekick, which was a good thing.

Another part I really liked about all of this was the involvement of Ricky Saints, who I think should also be in the United States title picture. He was defeated by Hayes last week, but that didn’t stop him from getting in his business tonight. Williams wasn’t having it, however, and at one point, pushed Saints down hard at ringside. Saints continued to get involved, though, and did end up costing Hayes the match. While I do want to see Hayes vs. Williams for the title, I think Saints needs to be involved to give him something exciting to do since his main roster call-up.

Written by Daisy Ruth