With a reputation for being able to perform at the highest level, Wardlow has found himself increasingly involved with brutal matches, such as the Blood and Guts contest that took place on a recent episode of AEW Dynamite (airs Wednesdays on TNT).
When I got backstage, I was so overcome with emotion because I had put so much pressure on myself. I don’t remember the entrances, or anything else. “I remember me and Cody squaring off in the ring,” he says. In his AEW debut, Wardlow wrestled a highly physical steel cage match on live television against Cody Rhodes. In that moment, I knew that this was what I was meant to do.”Īs Wardlow’s star began to rise, he began winning titles, and made his debut with All Elite Wrestling in 2019, quickly aligning himself with Maxwell Jacob Friedman in a partnership that would eventually lead to the formation of the “The Pinnacle,” alongside Dax Harwood, Cash Wheeler, and Shawn Spears, all under the watchful eye of Tully Blanchard. I was asked how long I had been wrestling, and people were surprised that it was my first match. “But it’s so much adrenaline, like you can’t even comprehend it. “I think there may have been 25 or 30 people there,” he says. Wardlow made his debut at age 26 at a small independent show, but the experience was none the less epic. “You know, in jiujitsu there are so many techniques with grappling that cross over in the amateur stye of wrestling, and crosses over to the world of pro wrestling.” Wardlow’s Breakout “Being able to throw a punch is obviously very important, and then grappling,” he says. Rather than relying on his size, Wardlow worked on his posture, and striking skills so that he would look every inch the plausible fighter in the wrestling ring. “He was a purple belt, and I just remember as soon as we squared off, I shot in and double-legged him, and he was really impressed and surprised.” “It’s funny, with jiujitsu, the first day I went in, they paired me with one of the most experienced and largest dudes there,” he says. “I wanted to take boxing skills, and jiujitsu skills, into the wrestling ring to solidify me as being a legitimate wrestler and a dangerous individual.”įortunately, through a combination of self-learning, and a natural aptitude for combat sports, he excelled straight away. “I heard about this gym near me, the Gracie Jiu Jitu camp, and I just wanted to become the best athlete that I could for pro wrestling,” he says. He worked hard with both boxing and jiujitsu so that people would see him as a bona fide athlete. “I was like, I gotta get my protein every couple of hours,” says Wardlow.Įventually, with an imposing physique and a desire to turn his dreams into reality, Wardlow set about building his combat skills to complement his presentation as a pro wrestler. When friends were partying, he would show up, but would bring a duffel bag with protein powder inside. Wardlow began to grow, and started training with the football team after school for extra conditioning. “Dave Bautista was blowing up in the wrestling world, and I remember looking at him and thinking, ‘That’s it, that’s what I am gonna be,’” he says. In high school, the 33-year-old’s love for bodybuilding became even more serious. In elementary school, I had a Bowflex cable system in my bedroom … a very small bedroom, and it took up the entire bedroom, but that’s how much I loved working out.” “It was the Arnold and Sylvester Stallone era. “I grew up on the Hulk Hogans and the Ultimate Warriors,” says Wardlow. With a passion for pro wrestling, a love of bodybuilding seemed like a natural progression. I just knew, at a very young age, that this was what I wanted to do with my life.” Bodybuilding, Bautista, and BJJ “Any outside activity that I do is ultimately to better myself in the ring. “Everything I have done, has been for training to be a pro wrestler,” he says. Getting into the ring was a calling that would see him leave his regular job of fixing up cars to chase the bright lights of sports entertainment.
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Growing up, Wardlow can’t recall a time when he wasn’t hooked on the action and excitement of professional wrestling. Muscle & Fitness caught up with the wrestler simply known as Wardlow to trace his origins in pro wrestling, his approach to health and fitness, and why he struggles to find a regular gym partner. Standing 6’3’’ and weighing in at 270 pounds, the Middlefield, OH, native is a member of All Elite Wrestling’s “The Pinnacle,” a group that is set to face off against Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle this Sunday at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view. Michael Wardlow is quickly becoming a dominant force in pro wrestling.