During a recent interview with Inside the Ropes, AEW rising prospect Wardlow discussed being compared to Batista and how fans reacted when he turned face. Check out the highlights below:

Wardlow on being compared to Batista:

“So, obviously, very flattering. I like to say, being compared to people’s cool, but there’s only one Wardlow and I feel like you really can’t compare me to many. With that said, being compared to Batista is always going to make me blush just because I was a huge Batista fan and he is one of the best-looking professional wrestlers to ever step in the ring, physique-wise, and he was one of the biggest superstars that wrestling ever created. You can count on one or two hands the names that truly ran the company and were the top guy and were like true superstar status – in the media, in that demographic of like what’s cool and exciting and mainstream. And now obviously going on to acting in Hollywood, not many people can do that. So, to be compared to that is awesome because that’s what I want to be. I want to be one of those guys down the road that you can count on one or two hands. I want Wardlow in the mix when you’re talking about Batista, when you’re talking about John Cena, when you talk about Dwayne Johnson, The Rock, you’re gonna be talking about Wardlow as well.”

On the fan reaction to his babyface turn:

“I think COVID played a big factor in a lot of things. I think COVID kind of hung up a lot of plans for a lot of people and maybe things should have happened at a different time. But then again, no. Everything has happened exactly how it was supposed to. Trust me, there’s days where I think I should have slapped MJF a long time ago and gave him the middle finger. But I wouldn’t change a single thing at all. I always had this feeling that when that time came, it would be a big deal. And you obviously, you hope and you pray for the proper response. However, that moment exceeded all of my wildest expectations. You question how to handle that moment and what is the true, proper way to handle that moment. And it was done perfectly. And again, I can truly, honestly say there’s nothing I would have changed about that night, about that moment, and to hear the crowd’s reaction when I set that ring down in front of Punk and turned around and walked away – the reaction from the fans as I walked away was and I think you could see it in my walk, I was feeling a certain way.”