While it makes for an interesting twist in their exciting rivalry, the fact Wardlow is employed by MJF and not by AEW really doesn't make all that much sense.
Throughout his time in the promotion, it has always been made clear that Wardlow is in fact working for MJF, and was brought into the company by MJF. But at this point, and with how his AEW tenure has played it, it feels a little silly to insinuate he doesn't work for Tony Khan.
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Sure it's an extra wrinkle in the ongoing rivalry between the two men and will do an excellent job in holding off on their eventual collision, which will, in turn, increase the hype for when Wardlow finally gets his hands on MJF, but it's at the cost of a little common sense.
Wardlow Has Been Included In AEW's Rankings
One issue that doesn't make much sense if Wardlow isn't actually employed by AEW, is his inclusion in their ranking system. The rankings are used to help identify who are the biggest contenders for the promotion's championship gold, but if the 34-year-old isn't even working for the promotion, it really makes very little storyline sense for him to ever be included in the ranks.
Hell, just last month Wardlow was the top-ranked male wrestler in the promotion, which is bizarre if fans are supposed to believe he doesn't even work for Tony Khan's company. He made it to the top of the rankings through his impressive AEW record, which also begs the question if he isn't employed by AEW, why would Tony Khan keep hand-picking him for matches on Dynamite?
Having arrived in AEW just over two years ago, Wardlow has fought - and picked up wins - against numerous different wrestlers on the roster, and while some of his matches make sense, such as facing Cody Rhodes and CM Punk to aid MJF during his rivalries with the pair, but the majority were squash matches against random wrestlers in the promotion, and it's unclear as to why Tony Khan would ever choose to give the big man these matches if he doesn't even work for him.
His TNT Title Shot
While he technically earned it through winning the Face of the Revolution ladder match, Wardlow being given a shot at the AEW TNT Title really doesn't make much sense either. If he only works for MJF and not the promotion, why would he ever even be given an opportunity to take one of their most prestigious championships? He shouldn't even be considered a member of the AEW roster, so giving him a shot at winning championship gold makes Tony Khan seem a little foolish.
We've seen numerous figures come into AEW on the understanding they were hired by individual wrestlers. Vickie Guerrero, Alex Abrahantes, Jose the Assistant, and Marc Sterling were all brought into the promotion seemingly without actually working for AEW, but for specific talents on the roster instead.
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That makes sense though, and each of those names has been treated as such. They have been portrayed as outside workers who have no personal ties to AEW, and as a result, have largely been there to support the wrestler they are presumably employed by. There are no title shots for any of those guys, no ranking spots, and sure that is largely due to the fact they aren't in-ring talents, but if MJF is the man who solely employs Wardlow, the War Dog shouldn't be considered an AEW in-ring talent either.
With all that being said, the story continues to be one of the best in AEW right now, and Wardlow's eventual signing with the promotion and his inevitable match with MJF is sure to be a huge success.
