Wardlow's slow burn.

[r.]

Wardlow's supposed turn on MJF has been slow, Which I can appreciate, Make the moment worth it when it happens.

However, Tonight felt like a step backward, He does the thing he doesn't wanna do and then looks a little miffed but it carries on anyway.

The question is; When do they pull the trigger and when will it be too late?

[Mozenrath]

I don't think it'll be too late, but I do figure maybe they don't want to tie Wardlow and Punk at the hip, and if he turned here, maybe that would have been a direct consequence.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

It wont be too late, whenever they do it, the roof will blow off that arena, people want it, just like with Hangman, I think the payoff will be fantastic

Don't see this being a step backward in any way, him looking conflicted meant a lot but this is still his job. I think we take the next big step at Revolution.

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

I am totally fine with the pacing. This Wardlow/MJF/Punk storyline is one of my favorites in recent memory. It probably won't touch Omega/Page but the fact that it's reasonably close to me says a lot. I mean this ending image is perfect:

[jimmyjackezekiel]

Feb 3, 2022 0:14:48 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

It wont be too late, whenever they do it, the roof will blow off that arena, people want it, just like with Hangman, I think the payoff will be fantastic

Don't see this being a step backward in any way, him looking conflicted meant a lot but this is still his job. I think we take the next big step at Revolution.

[Oak: Certified Jade Hater]

Feb 2, 2022 23:56:40 GMT -5 r. said:

Wardlow's supposed turn on MJF has been slow, Which I can appreciate, Make the moment worth it when it happens.

However, Tonight felt like a step backward, He does the thing he doesn't wanna do and then looks a little miffed but it carries on anyway.

The question is; When do they pull the trigger and when will it be too late?

Given their booking style? It’ll be too late and won’t get the pops it should have. Wardlow and MJF had a weird thing back in 2020 after Max’s failed title shot, which I thought was the beginning of this slow burn of his, but then no real follow up until recently. As of now I don’t think it’s ruined yet, but they’re gonna get to a point where it’s shit or get off the pot, and they’re gonna hold steadfast and keep on their pace. Very much ROH in that aspect.

I know, I know, “wait and see!”, but until they pay off Cody and Penta from last year, they get no sympy.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Feb 3, 2022 0:53:48 GMT -5 jimmyjackezekiel said:

Feb 3, 2022 0:14:48 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

It wont be too late, whenever they do it, the roof will blow off that arena, people want it, just like with Hangman, I think the payoff will be fantastic

Don't see this being a step backward in any way, him looking conflicted meant a lot but this is still his job. I think we take the next big step at Revolution.

You can be a dick about it all you like, people were dicks about how long Hangman's stuff took too, that worked out well. I'm more than content on watching it play out here. 

[Oak: Certified Jade Hater]

Feb 3, 2022 1:14:11 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

Feb 3, 2022 0:53:48 GMT -5 jimmyjackezekiel said:

You can be a dick about it all you like, people were dicks about how long Hangman's stuff took too, that worked out well. I'm more than content on watching it play out here. 

I’m coming from a genuine place with this one. While circumstances prevented it from culminating at All Out, where it should’ve ended, I did think that Full Gear to Full Gear was a nice touch. It did feel like they gave Hangman unlimited mountains to overcome to get there, which did hinder my enjoyment because it felt like he could never catch a break. The match itself was fine and felt like a proper conclusion, even if I think the follow through has been shoddy at best, so I give them credit there.

My complaint right now is that the “wait and see” I get from fans doesn’t always translate into what’s been built. I mentioned Cody and Penta, but a look at MJF and Darby or Punk and Kingston recently show that they’re fine stopping rather than follow through. There was heat behind those feuds and a desire for more, but they cut those short and progress to the next as if that’s what’s set in stone and there’s no flexibility. And while they could always come back to feuds and reignite things, the heat and interest was such that fans were left questioning why there was no follow through in a bad way as opposed to good way, and I fear the same will happen with Wardlow.

There’s a big wait and see with him, but the follow through is just as important as the execution, because otherwise you can tell an incredible story but fumble the epilogue and then you get Game of Thrones.

[Deleted]

They need to drag it on longer IMO.

I don't think the crowd are quite ready to give him a Batista monster pop just yet. You gotta build it up more and keep coming back to the teasing every now and then.

[Kalmia]

It's not happening until after Revolution. MJF has already said he expects Wardlow to win the Face of the Revolution ladder match and hand the TNT title to him and that's going to be the final straw.

I don't know if they'll go as far as having Wardlow win the belt or just stop at him getting the shot, but the catalyst for the face turn has been telegraphed and set up pretty well by MJF here. Asking Wardlow to give up a title (shot) is so much more than just asking Wardlow to cheat. Plus, it's old school and MJF likes old school heeling.

[Mid-Carder]

MJF v Punk was big enough on its own without adding Wardlow's turn to it. I'd rather they took their time than rushed into it.

[bearned]

There is very little else more satisfying than a slow burn turn in wrestling. This Wardlow slow burn is great because it’s pretty obvious it’s happening but I honestly couldn’t pick when and where it’s going to happen. But it’s gonna happen.

[Abdullah]

I don’t think this will be what turns him. It should be when MJF asks for the TNT title.

But make no mistake. His slow-burn has been weird. Last night, he barely seemed bothered by the whole thing and was making smug ‘you expected me to help Punk’ faces. They need to work on making him likable, not mildly peeved.

[smokinvokoun86]

It’s gonna happen at Revolution or at the very latest the post PPV show. But it’s clearly gonna happen soon.

[chronocross]

I still think it'll happen, MJF will probably come out next week and act like he did it by himself or will say Wardlow should have come out sooner and still berate him while they continue the burn. I think it will happen after the Punk feud finishes.

[khali]

Like I said elsewhere, it made no sense to do the turn this week if MJF was winning. So I don’t really get the complaint that it didn’t happen this time. MJF got one of the biggest wins in AEW history. You weren’t going to overshadow that with Wardlow turning on him afterwards. He’s only going to turn on him after a loss, because that would be the logical fit.

[robferatu]

I think the build for Wardlow's inevitable face turn has been practically perfect.

With that said, I expect it to come shortly after "Revolution" as I assume Wardlow will win the "Face of the Revolution" Ladder Match and once he cashes in his opportunity against Guevara (or whomever the TNT Champion is), MJF demanding that handover championship will be the perfect catalyst for finally turning face.

[ghost]

When Wardlow faces MJF, that's the match MJF has to lose for the storyline to make any sense. I think they wanted MJF to beat Punk first and now the L to Wardlow can happen.

[4real]

Maybe have Wardlow’s contract with MJF run out without MJF knowing about it and Wardlow does the turn.

[Ecks Ecks Ringout Ecks Ecks]

I like the slow burn. Since I grew up on 80s/early 90s wrestling, I enjoy the longer-term angles, so long as they don't involve constant repetition of the same segments and matches. There's a risk of the powerbomb symphony squashes and Spears interactions eventually getting stale, but it feels like the threw in a twist at the right time.