{"id":204206,"date":"2025-09-10T13:03:37","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T18:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=204206"},"modified":"2025-09-11T11:50:54","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T16:50:54","slug":"aew-rising-fading-stars-is-it-over-for-wardlow-after-the-latest-crushing-injury-are-wrestlers-getting-pushes-because-of-who-theyre-dating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/09\/10\/aew-rising-fading-stars-is-it-over-for-wardlow-after-the-latest-crushing-injury-are-wrestlers-getting-pushes-because-of-who-theyre-dating\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW RISING &#038; FADING STARS: Is it over for Wardlow after the latest crushing injury? Are wrestlers getting pushes because of who they&#8217;re dating?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3296620966\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>Welcome everyone!<\/p>\n<p>Another week of AEW has gone by and we are just two weeks from All Out in Canada. So let\u2019s look back and see how I felt this week came off.<\/p>\n<p>First, if you read my column recently, I compared &#8220;Hangman&#8221; Adam Page to Bret Hart and Kyle Fletcher to HBK &#8211; just with how they are being built as characters, not their in ring style. Now it looks like we might be getting a Survivor Series 1992 type match at All Out &#8211; AEW World Champion Hangman vs. TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher. Love this.<\/p>\n<p>If you missed Collision, then you missed a lot:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Big Bill calling out a fellow New Yorker in Eddie Kingston.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Fletcher challenging Hangman. Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin in a coffin match became official.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Toni Storm\u2019s AEW Women\u2019s World Title will be defended in a four-way match against Thekla, Kris Statlander, and Donna from &#8220;That 70\u2019s show,&#8221; I mean Jaimie Hayter.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022MJF telling Mark Briscoe to choose the time, All Out, and the stipulation, after which Briscoe told MJF he would get back to him on that.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1275696230\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Catch up on all those happenings with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/09\/07\/aew-collision-results-9-6-mark-briscoe-vs-konosuke-takeshita-moxley-vs-garcia-ftr-vs-priest-billington-all-star-eight-woman-tag\/\">our detailed Collision report by Joshua White<\/a>. It turns out, not many of you watched, according to the ProWrestling.net report: <a href=\"https:\/\/prowrestling.net\/site\/2025\/09\/09\/aew-collision-rating-for-jon-moxley-vs-daniel-garcia-and-konosuke-takeshita-vs-mark-briscoe\/\">Collision Viewership. Yikes!<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s get to this week&#8217;s list!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Rising Star of the Week<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Konosuke Takeshita<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>-NJPW G1 Climax Winner<\/p>\n<p>-6 Straight wins in AEW and NJPW<\/p>\n<p>I know, you and I were both worried about Takeshita losing against Mark Briscoe on Collision. In the end, he didn\u2019t win cleanly, because of MJF, but he still won.<\/p>\n<p>As I said last week, the babyface side needs some fresh faces in the main event scene. Darby and now Eddie Kingston help, but we all know Takeshita is ready-made for that position. His win against Briscoe was not what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised. Then when he got in MJF\u2019s face for attacking Briscoe after the match, it got me even more excited for his turn.<\/p>\n<p>While it will be hard to fully push Takeshita if he is going back and forth between New Japan and AEW, I am hopeful. One reason for that hopefulness is he won the G1 Climax Tournament and Takeshita wants his NJPW World Title match against Zach Sabre Jr now.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2619553242\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>That makes me hopeful it will be a quick one-off and after Takeshita will be a fixture on AEW television going forward. He has an everything needed to be in the main events of AEW shows. Now he just needs to be around to capitalize on it.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of the &#8220;All Elite Conversation Club&#8221; with Joel Dehnel and Gregg Kanner, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: <strong>CLICK HERE<\/strong> to stream (or search \u201cpwtorch\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"All Elite Conversation Club - Dehnel &amp; Kanner break down HBO Max PPV announcement and debut concerns, more + Acknowledging WWE\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=67649089&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Fading Star of the week<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Alex Windsor<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>-3 losses in a row to Mercedes<\/p>\n<p>-3 wins and 5 losses in last 8 matches<\/p>\n<p>First, this was said about another wrestler a few weeks ago, in this very column, so I have to bring it up. What I am referencing is the Beast Mortos getting main event tTVv matches the week after it came out about he and one Mercedes Mone being in a relationship.<\/p>\n<p>So it has to be said that Windsor\u2019s relationship with Will Ospreay might be affecting her push on television. She\u2019s been in two TNT Title matches in two weeks. The issue is though that, just like Mortos, it has not given Windsor any wins. So it really feels like Windsor is on television so much because of who she is dating.<\/p>\n<p>Windsor has now been on the losing end of three straight matches involving Mercedes Mone. Windsor lost a six-woman tag match at a Rev Pro event in England, so she couldn\u2019t go over even in her own country. Then Windsor lost the four-way at Forbidden Door. Windsor then won a squash match on Collision before losing to Mone, again, when challenging for the TBS Title.<\/p>\n<p>My issue, other than the constant screaming of \u201cWindsor,\u201d is that she keeps losing to anyone that is above her in the pecking order. Windsor needs some big wins over credible opponents; otherwise, she is just the Challenger of the Month for Mone. It\u2019s also possible that damage has already been done to her overall.<\/p>\n<p>Hey, maybe Windsor is finally on the winning side against Mone this week. On Dynamite it will be Windsor and Rhio against Mone and Emi Sakura, the woman who trained Riho. I can\u2019t see Riho losing in her first match in AEW 14 months, but Mone almost never loses.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1st Runner Up: Wardlow<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>-1 PPV and 1 Dynamite appearance over the last 12 months<\/p>\n<p>-0 Matches or Mic time during that time period<\/p>\n<p>Well, this one is a sad one. It was nice to have the big man back for that short amount of time. If you didn\u2019t hear it came out that Wardlow is injured\u2026.again. PWTorch editor Wade Keller was first to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/09\/08\/wardlow-to-miss-in-ring-time-after-suffering-torn-pectoral-muscle-details-on-how-it-happened-and-what-was-planned-for-him\/\">report exclusive details<\/a>. It appears the injury could keep him out of action for a few weeks to a few months.<\/p>\n<p>So, for a guy that lots of people thought would be on the higher end of the card by this point in AEW, it\u2019s just been one misstep or injury after another. At some point, when you make multiple big returns, the shine wears off. Unless he undergoes a drastic change, we may never get to see the full potential of Wardlow.<\/p>\n<p>But maybe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.postwrestling.com\/2025\/06\/12\/wardlow-kamille-among-numerous-wrestlers-to-appear-on-american-gladiators-reboot\/\">American Gladiators<\/a> will be a big hit and make him a star. Hey I said maybe!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show (9\/3) - AEW Dynamite w\/Zilem &amp; Griffin\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fx1tT-70khU?start=6&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1393731013\"><div id=\"pwtor-3066463565\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Welcome everyone! Another week of AEW has gone by and we are just two weeks from All Out in Canada. So let\u2019s look back and see how I felt this week came off. First, if <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/09\/10\/aew-rising-fading-stars-is-it-over-for-wardlow-after-the-latest-crushing-injury-are-wrestlers-getting-pushes-because-of-who-theyre-dating\/\" title=\"AEW RISING &#038; FADING STARS: Is it over for Wardlow after the latest crushing injury? Are wrestlers getting pushes because of who they&#8217;re dating?\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":204207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,52,4309,27],"tags":[6955,6653],"class_list":["post-204206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlightarticles","category-opnionandanalysis","category-rising-star-fading-star","category-specialists","tag-alex-windsor","tag-wardlow"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-10-at-1.00.12-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204206"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":204208,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204206\/revisions\/204208"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/204207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}