Wardlow has been pulled from his planned AEW World Championship match at All Out on September 20 due to a torn pec. A report from Fightful Select confirmed the injury, with Kyle Fletcher now booked to challenge the champion, Adam Page, in Toronto.
The injury forces a significant change to the pay-per-view card, as Tony Khan had to alter the main event. Wardlow, who just returned last month at Forbidden Door, reportedly suffered the injury during his return angle where he joined the Don Callis Family.
This booking shift places fellow Don Callis Family member Kyle Fletcher into his first world title program. While a talented performer, Fletcher is not yet established as a main event star in the promotion, a stark contrast to the powerhouse originally slated for the spot.
The timing is critical for AEW, as All Out goes head-to-head with WWE’s Wrestlepalooza PLE, which is set to feature the return matches for both Brock Lesnar and AJ Lee as part of its ESPN launch. It was widely assumed AEW would stack its lineup with major star power to keep its buyrate from tanking against the stiff competition, making the loss of a top challenger a serious blow.