Last year at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, Kazuchika Okada viciously attacked Swerve Strickland post-match after retaining his Unified Championship against the latter. Although The Mogul’s manager, Prince Nana, showed up armed with a steel pipe to make the save for his boss, the veteran was himself blindsided by the returning Wardlow, who laid waste to Nana before destroying a fleet of security personnel for trying to stop him.
The War Dog was then seen embracing Don Callis, revealing himself as the latest member of The Invisible Hand’s “family.” Although it appeared at the time that AEW had major plans for Wardlow moving forward, shortly after Forbidden Door 2025, news broke that the powerhouse had sustained a torn pec and would thus be sidelined again for several months. This was an unfortunate development as the Ohio-born star had been on the shelf for a long time before his return last year.
In an interview this past April, Wardlow revealed that he is “very, very close” to returning to wrestling. The following month, it was reported that the former TNT Champion had been backstage at AEW’s Double or Nothing 2026 pay-per-view. Although there are no specific updates as to when he might return to the promotion’s programming, with All In: London just around the corner, Wardlow’s All Elite Wrestling comeback may be a matter of time.
If Tony Khan actually does bring the 38-year-old back into the mix at Wembley Stadium later this month, let us consider three directions he could be planning for Wardlow afterward.
#1. Wardlow returns during and wins the AEW All In Casino Gauntlet Match
As in the past two years, the 2026 edition of All In will feature a Men’s Casino Gauntlet Match, the winner of which will earn a contract granting them the right to a future AEW Men’s World Championship bout. This week on Grand Slam Mexico, Andrade El Idolo sealed his spot as the #1 entrant in said Gauntlet match by winning a three-way against Komander and Tommaso Ciampa. Unfortunately, The Real Latino Man could not celebrate his victory for long, as an ambush from the returning MJF blindsided him.
The Wolf of Wrestling reclaimed his Dynamite Diamond Ring from Andrade and proceeded to bust him open with it. He then went on a tirade over losing his World Title to Kenny Omega at Dynamite: Beach Break thanks to Will Ospreay neutralizing his attempt at using his ring to steal the win. Lashing out at The Cleaner and The Aerial Assassin for supposedly stealing his All In: London main event, Friedman announced himself for a qualifier for the #2 spot in the All In Casino Gauntlet Match.
Big Hebrew will be looking to earn another AEW World Championship contract this month at Wembley Stadium in a bid to reclaim the title like he did last year. However, his plan might be thwarted by Wardlow, who could return at All In 2026 as a participant in the Men’s Casino Gauntlet. Considering their history and past issues, seeing Mr. Mayhem suddenly standing across from him might reasonably throw MJF off his game. This could even lead to Wardlow actually winning the Gauntlet Match to earn another World Title opportunity.
#2. Wardlow challenges Will Ospreay for the AEW World Championship
After his match against Mark Davis earlier this year shockingly ended in a loss due to referee stoppage, Will Ospreay accepted Jon Moxley’s offer to train with him and his crew to strengthen his surgically repaired neck and become the most dangerous weapon in the pro-wrestling industry. The Aerial Assassin’s work with The Death Riders seemed to pay off, as he defeated Samoa Joe, Mark Davis, and finally Swerve Strickland, respectively, in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals of the 2026 Owen Hart Cup to earn a World Title shot at All In.
Ospreay seemingly cut ties with The Death Riders at Redemption 2026 when he refused to suffocate the reigning AEW World Champion, Kenny Omega, with a plastic bag, as per Moxley’s orders. However, festering issues between him and Kenny led The Cleaner to shockingly attack the “Billy Goat” right before the closing moments of the PPV. In an intense war of words days after Redemption, Ospreay assured Omega that he would be pulling the trigger on the latter at Wembley to accomplish his goal of becoming World Champion on his home soil.
Despite all the intrigue involving him, Kenny and Mox en route to All In 2026, All Elite Wrestling will most likely not miss out on the chance to crown The Commonwealth Kingpin as the AEW World Champion in London. If Wardlow returns and wins the Men’s Casino Gauntlet match at the same event, he could step up as Ospreay’s very first title defense. Such a bout would be a first-time-ever matchup, as well as a clash of styles, in which the conductor of the Powerbomb Symphony will have to try to ground The Sky King to the mat.
Although Wardlow may not be the one to dethrone Ospreay as World Champion, his being booked as the latter’s first defense after All In would immediately set him up in the company’s upper card landscape.
#3. Wardlow goes after Kevin Knight’s AEW TNT Championship
Kevin Knight captured the TNT Title by winning a Casino Gauntlet Match for the vacated belt at Dynasty 2026 this past April. Since then, the self-proclaimed “One to Look Up To” has defended his strap a record-breaking eleven times, retaining it against Claudio Castagnoli, MJF, Hook, Brian Cage, “Speedball” Mike Bailey, Myron Reed, Dezmond Xavier, Lio Rush, AR Fox, Darby Allin and Titan.
Not long after turning heel on Darby at Double or Nothing 2026, and after betraying his tag partner Speedball, Knight aligned himself with the Don Callis Family. His addition to the heel mega-faction almost immediately sparked tensions between The Jet and Kyle Fletcher, the former TNT Champion who had to relinquish the belt due to injury.
Despite this, however, Kevin Knight has been finding his place in the Callis Family. He is seemingly on good terms with many of his stablemates, including Jake Doyle, Hechicero and Kazuchika Okada, among others. He even teamed with The Alchemist of The Ring and The Rainmaker this week on Grand Slam Mexico, although he ended up getting pinned by Darby Allin in their trios match.
It seems like AEW is building a TNT Title bout between the face-painted daredevil and The Jet for All In: London. If Knight does face Darby at Wembley and survive the ordeal, he could be looking at a returning fellow member of the Don Callis Family, Wardlow, as his next major challenger.
If he is still a member of the DCF when he comes back, Wardlow may want to regain the TNT Championship and go after Kevin Knight with that goal in mind. Don Callis has previously demonstrated that he is not opposed to friendly competition among his clients, and, as such, he could very easily approve a title match between The Jet and the big man.
If Knight then somehow retains against Wardlow (by using illegal tactics, for instance), the latter could follow in Andrade’s footsteps and quit the Callis Family. He could then feud with the stable, perhaps alongside another former member, Konosuke Takeshita, who also has unfinished business with the group.
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Edited by Angana Roy
