"It's been a long time coming" - Tony Khan describes the current popularity of top AEW star

Wardlow has seen his popularity soar among AEW fans as of late, something Tony Khan believes has been a long time coming.

The Wardog heads into this week's AEW Dynamite set to establish the terms and conditions behind his upcoming match against MJF. The pair were previously part of a group called The Pinnacle, with Wardlow serving as a personal bodyguard to Friedman.

However, Mr. Mayhem embarked on his journey as a singles competitor after winning the Face of the Revolution ladder match at the Revolution pay-per-view in March 2022.

AEW President Tony Khan described Wardlow's rising popularity during a recent episode of Busted Open Radio. He suggested that The Wardog's uprising against MJF has made the former a fan favorite.

“It was an awesome showing for Wardlow. He’s such a bright star. Obviously, right now, he’s being held down by MJF. Being held back by MJF, and it’s only making the fans love him more. The people seem to get behind Wardlow a little bit more every week, and I think it’s just awesome. It’s been a long time coming, really for years, the fans supported Wardlow and wanted to see Wardlow stand up to MJF, and now they’re seeing it, and people are really, really responding to it.” (H/T Wrestling Inc.)

During this past week's Dynamite, MJF promised to face Wardlow in the ring at a later stage. However, as Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho have also found out during their own feud with the Long Islander, the match will come with terms and conditions established by MJF himself.

Wardlow defeated IMPACT's W. Morrissey on AEW Dynamite this past week

Before agreeing to face Wardlow, MJF made it his mission to ruin the singles prospects of his former bodyguard. Despite banning the 34-year-old from AEW venues, MJF still fell victim to interference from Wardlow. As a result, Friedman lost his recent match against Captain Shawn Dean.

Maxwell's next plan involved hiring mercenaries to take out his adversary. The first was the AFO's Butcher, who failed in his mission before it was confirmed that Lance Archer would have his own go at the former Pinnacle member.

After dispatching the Murderhawk Monster, Wardlow's third opponent was announced as a surprise visitor to the Jacksonville-based promotion. This past week, MJF introduced former WWE star W. Morrissey to the AEW audience. However, he was unsuccessful in his match against The Wardog.

It will be interesting to see how the heated feud develops heading into Double or Nothing on May 29.

Who are you backing to reign supreme? Sound off in the comments below.