Adam Copeland and Dax Harwood praised Tony Khan for donating towards the relief efforts after Hurricane Helene and the AEW President wanted to tip the cap back to his stars.

Speaking on the AEW WrestleDream media call, Khan mentioned how Copeland credited him for helping police with Starlink connections in those affected by Hurricane Helene and shared with the media something he believed Copeland wouldn’t want to be shared.

“Adam called me last week at backstage at Collision and he was with FEMA workers and he was working with them, he’s helping them. And they were digging bodies out and, and they were dealing with this terrible, terrible tragedy.”

After Copeland credited Khan for his charity, Harwood backed up Copeland’s story stating that all it took for Tony to contribute was “one ask.” Khan noted both stars were doing their part in North Carolina. Cash Wheeler set up a GoFundMe (donate here) for those in western part of the state that has nearly tripled the $25,000 goal.

“Adam and Dax and Cash and everybody chipping in on the relief efforts and the hurricane problem and as the damage and God forbid the loss of life and all these things start to become a reality, it’s terrible.”

Khan went on to note how busy he’s been with promoting WrestleDream and dealing with the travel issues stemming from Hurricane Helene, but seeing and hearing about all the damage puts matters in perspective and made clear that this past episode of Dynamite was certain to have an 800 number where fans could donate if they were able.

“I care about [AEW] so much what we’re doing and yet, I would be remiss not to bring the charitable aspect of this end of the show and to try to get people to donate…

“It wasn’t all about promoting AEW on TBS last night. It’s also about promoting hurricane relief and whatever we can do to help people.”

If you’d like to donate to any of the non-profits on the ground for those in North Carolina, below is a screenshot of the QR codes presented on AEW Dynamite.

FTR is considered one of the most talented tag teams wrestling today and has held gold in WWE, AEW, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and beyond. In 2023, the group faced a real-life obstacle, one that nearly spelled the end for the team of Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood.

Just days ahead of AEW All In: London 2023, Cash Wheeler was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated assault with a firearm. Wheeler had been in a ‘road rage’ and had flashed his gun to another driver but was still allowed to travel to the UK and compete at All In, where he and Harwood defeated The Young Bucks.

Speaking to Renee Paquette on AEW Close Up, Harwood revealed that Wheeler was ready to retire from wrestling after the arrest, as he didn’t want Harwood to get caught up in his arrest. Thankfully, Harwood was able to pull his friend away from the proverbial edge.

“He said, ‘I think I’m going to retire because I don’t want to subject you to any of this stuff that I’m going through’… . ‘I’m just going to retire. You don’t have to worry because your contract is with you. I’m going to leave wrestling.’ I had to talk him into not retiring.”

The case against Wheeler was dropped in May 2024 mere days before the AEW wrestler was due to stand trial. He has fortunately been able to avoid any more legal trouble since then and continues to cement his place as part of one of AEW’s greatest tag teams.

AEW wrestler Cash Wheeler of FTR will be relieved that the criminal case against him related to an incident from July 2023 has been officially dropped. 

The former AEW World Tag Team Champion had been arrested and charged with one count of aggravated assault with a firearm. Wheeler had been in a ‘road rage’ and had flashed his gun to another driver. He had pleaded not guilty to the charge. Despite this situation, Wheeler was allowed to work last August’s All In pay-per-view, where FTR defeated the Young Bucks. 

Now, the case against Wheeler has been officially dropped, PW Insider reports. The prosecutor’s office has filed a ‘Nolle Prosequi’, indicating their decision to abandon the case and forego pursuing charges against Wheeler. At this time, it is not stated why the case against him has been dropped. Wheeler had been scheduled to face trial on May 20.

This news will come as a huge relief to Wheeler who has remained active on AEW programming despite his legal situation. Wheeler will be a part of the upcoming Double or Nothing pay-per-view and will compete in the Anarchy in the Arena match. The show will see The Elite (the Bucks, Kazuchika Okada, and Jack Perry) face Team AEW (Wheeler, Dax Harwood, Bryan Danielson and Eddie Kingston.)

• Eddie Kingston Suffers Leg Injury At NJPW Resurgence

Wheeler is fortunate that the case against him has been dropped and will hopefully use this as motivation to stay on the proverbial straight and narrow from here on. With his place as one of AEW’s top tag-team wrestlers cemented, the last thing Wheeler needs is to jeopardize that spot with another legal issue.

The Blackpool Combat Club hoped to channel the intensity of the Road Warriors at the AEW Revolution 2024 pay-per-view. 

The much-anticipated tag-team match with FTR was the fifth match on the main card and the seventh match of the evening if you include the pre-show. The Blackpool Combat Club was represented by Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley and wasted no time in paying tribute to the legendary tag team. During their entrance, the duo wore spiked shoulder pads similar to what fans had seen for years from Road Warrior Hawk and Road Warrior Animal.

After weeks of back & forth violence, the rematch goes down now as Moxley & Castagnoli of the BCC make their way to the ring.

Order #AEWRevolution on PPV right now!
??: https://t.co/MpmTCyHt8n
?: https://t.co/Bc4ZSSvvNC@JonMoxley | @ClaudioCSRO pic.twitter.com/2omFAcOkjM

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 4, 2024

BCC Vs. FTR

While the action started slow between these two methodical teams, it quickly descended into a brawl, including one spot where Moxley mocked Cash Wheeler after sending him outside the ring, telling him “I don’t think you’re sh*t!”

While it was the BCC with the Road Warrior homage, FTR attempted to hit the Doomsday Device on Castagnoli, who was able to escape. The BCC duo would hit a successful Doomsday Device later on.

The finish of the match saw Mox hit the Death Rider on Dax, who was able to kick out. Moxley then slapped on the rear choke and Wheeler’s attempts to interfere were thwarted by Castagnoli. This would see the Blackpool Combat Club get the win. 

Who Has Rocked the Pads? 

The BCC isn’t the first set of wrestlers outside the Road Warriors to have donned the iconic spiked shoulder pads. For WrestleMania 13 in 1997, Ahmed Johnson donned the pads to team with the Road Warriors for their Street Fight with the Nation of Domination. In 1998, Droz joined the group as a third Road Warrior in a tasteless angle that saw Hawk deal with alcohol abuse and ‘fall’ off the titan tron. 

It’d be close to a decade before fans saw somebody new don the pads. In 2005, Animal began teaming with Heidenreich as Hawk had passed away in 2003. Heidenreich donned the shoulder pads and the pair enjoyed a brief reign as WWE Tag Team Champions.  

Welcome to a new feature we’re running here at SEScoops, the Daily Drop – a rundown of the top news and rumors in wrestling. It’s Wednesday, February 21, 2024 and we’ve got AEW Dynamite tonight from Tulsa, Oklahoma (Preview below).

The big item on our radar is Saturday’s WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 premium live event from Perth, Australia. 

Here are the special Elimination Chamber 2024 start times:

• WrestleMania Countdown: 45 days away

WWE

– Carlito turns 25 years old today. He was born February 21, 1979.

– We’ve added exclusive interviews with Bianca Belair and Omos to the SEScoops YouTube channel. These interviews were conducted at the WWE 2K24 media event that was held over Royal Rumble weekend.

– I exclusively reported WWE’s current booking plan for Omos. Now, fans will have to wait to see him on television again.

– Here’s footage of WWE talent arriving in Perth, Australia for Saturday’s Elimination Chamber 2024 premium live event:

Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, Undertaker, Triple H and more arrived in Perth, Australia for Elimination Chamber.

Hyped ?#WWEChamber pic.twitter.com/4NHpiFpHLM

— Rajput Ankit ? (Triple W ERA) (@ankit_wfn) February 21, 2024

– Shotzi Blackheart headed for surgery for a torn ACL. She will be back for a while, and WWE aired the episode of NXT where she was injured last night. She announced on Instagram that she’ll be out for around 9 months.

– The Rock is back wearing those ‘$500 shirts’ that he made famous during the Attitude Era. We wanted to know how much they’d cost in 2024. calculated the value of The Rock’s $500 shirts in today’s dollars, adjusted for inflation. 

– Vanilla Ice (yes, THAT Vanilla Ice) bought Eddie Guerrero’s low rider car. He also got it for a steal.

– Natalya posted this incredible throwback photo on social media looking back at the first time she met Becky Lynch 20 years ago.

My very first time meeting @BeckyLynchWWE… 20 years ago. We’ve truly come such a long way. ?

(Thank you @smacwrestling for sharing with me!) pic.twitter.com/7MNufMy8H6

— Nattie (@NatbyNature) February 21, 2024

AEW News

– Here’s what’s on tap for tonight ‘s AEW Dynamite from Tulsa, Oklahoma:

• Samoa Joe & Swerve Strickland & Brian Cage vs. Hook & “Hangman” Adam Page & RVD – Trios match
• Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli) vs. FTR
• “Timeless” Toni Storm in singles match
• Deonna Purrazzo in singles action

– Cash Wheeler’s gun charge is coming back to haunt him. Now, he will go to court and the charge against him is classified as a third-degree felony in Florida.

– Jim Ross said that his broken hip is responding well to treatment. We’ll have to see how long it takes him to make a return to AEW television. 

Upcoming Events

• WWE Elimination Chamber: Perth is scheduled for next Saturday, February 24.
• AEW Dynamite: Big Business will be hosted at Boston’s TD Garden on March 13th.
• AEW Revolution is planned for the following weekend, on Sunday, March 3.
• WWE NXT Stand & Deliver is slated for the afternoon of April 6th, just before the start of WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia.
• WrestleMania XL is set to take place on April 6th and 7th at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a two-part event.
• Backlash France is scheduled for May 4th at LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu, France.
• WWE NXT Battleground is booked for May 26th at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia, exclusively available on the WWE Network and Peacock.
• WWE Money in the Bank will be held on July 6th at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, followed by WWE NXT Heatwave on July 7th at the same venue.
• WWE Bash In Berlin is marked for August 31st at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, Germany.

Cash Wheeler is facing the consequences of his gun charge as the prosecutor moves forward with legal proceedings. Now, he is headed to court as prosecutors have opted to pursue the case.

Cash Wheeler Going To Trial

Daniel Wheeler, also known as Cash Wheeler, faces one count of aggravated assault with a firearm following his arrest in 2023. A warrant for his arrest was issued on July 28, the day after the incident occurred on July 27. 

The FTR member already asserted his innocence through his attorney during his initial court appearance on August 3. All firearms belonging to Wheeler were mandated to be surrendered to the local sheriff’s department until the resolution of the case.

During a road rage incident, Wheeler purportedly brandished a firearm. His attorney emphasized that the altercation was not of a domestic nature and that Wheeler was not acquainted with the individuals involved. The charge against him is classified as a third-degree felony in Florida.

According to court documents obtained by PW Insider, Wheeler was absent from his arraignment today. The trial is scheduled to commence on May 20th, with pre-trial proceedings set for May 7th, where Wheeler has been directed to attend.

What Happened During This Incident

On July 27, 2023, Orange County in Florida issued an incident report. Officer M. Bowhay arrived at the scene of an aggravated assault involving a firearm and interviewed the victim, Daniel Matta.

Matta claimed that Wheeler aimed a gun at him while both were driving on Interstate 4. After positively identifying Wheeler from a photo lineup, Matta’s statement resulted in the charge of aggravated assault with a firearm against Wheeler.

SEScoops is sending out our best for Cash Wheeler at this time. Hopefully, he can get this matter taken care of.

Cash Wheeler’s gun charge is coming back to haunt him, because the prosecutor has decided to move forward with the legal process.

Cash Wheeler is Facing Charges

Prosecutors in Orange County, Florida are proceeding with criminal charges against AEW star Daniel “Cash” Wheeler, according to PW Insider.

Wheeler was arrested in August 2023 after a warrant for his arrest was issued on July 28, 2023. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of aggravated assault with a firearm through his attorney with the circuit court of Orange County, Florida on August 3, 2023. Wheeler surrendered himself on August 17, 2023, and was arraigned the following day.

During the arraignment, the prosecution stated that the July 2023 incident leading to Wheeler’s arrest was believed to be a road rage incident, alleging that Wheeler flashed a gun at the other party. Wheeler’s attorney stated during the arraignment that he did not know the other party involved. The term “victims” was used during the proceedings.

More Background About The Case

There had been little progress on the case since the initial arraignment, but on February 1, a decision was made to move forward with the charges. Under Florida law, a conviction for aggravated assault with a firearm could result in up to five years’ imprisonment, five years’ probation, and a $5,000 fine.

A hearing is scheduled for February 20, listed as an arraignment, despite Wheeler having previously been arraigned.

An incident report dated July 27, 2023, was released by Orange County in Florida. Officer M. Bowhay responded to the scene of the aggravated assault with a firearm call and spoke to the victim, Daniel Matta. 

Matta provided a statement alleging that Wheeler pointed a gun at him while driving on Interstate 4. Matta identified Wheeler from a photo lineup with 100% certainty, leading to the charge of aggravated assault with a firearm against Wheeler.

SE Scoops will have more information on this story as additional information is made available. 

Dax Harwood hasn’t been afraid to express his feelings against his critics and he just set his sights on Eric Bischoff.

Bischoff has been blunt in his constructive criticism of Tony Khan’s AEW and it hasn’t sat well with Khan and now apparently with one of Tony’s top tag teams.

In a new interview with Jeff Snyder, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler didn’t hold back in what he felt about Bischoff and other wrestling personalities who have given their opinions on AEW.

“You got all these old-time, miserable podcasters like Eric Bischoff and some of the others who make a living just by going on their podcasts and burying Tony and AEW when they know that AEW is a place where business is thriving.”

Wheeler then goes on to accuse Bischoff that he holds sour grapes because Khan didn’t offer him a job with the company.

“I think he’s really mad that Tony wouldn’t give him a job the few times he was there to collect the paycheck.”

Harwood doubled down on Cash’s assessment before stating that Bischoff only criticizes AEW for clicks and publicity.

“I know there’s quite a few that glowingly talked about AEW initially, and when Tony didn’t give them a job, now all of a sudden, they’re talking crap about it? Eh, that don’t make sense to me.”

Harwood said that he takes Bischoff’s opinions personally because AEW is how he puts food on the table. 

However, on previous episodes of “83 Weeks” and “Strictly Business,” Bischoff has mentioned multiple times that he hopes that AEW succeeds.

Tony Khan has gotten heated at Bischoff for his criticisms of his company and notoriously got into an exchange on social media with the former WCW President.

Credit to Jeff Snyder and h/t to WrestleZone for the transcription.

All Elite Wrestling tag team FTR will take a break from the company as their contracts expire.

After leaving the WWE, the “Top Guys” have worked with AEW since 2020. During their career in AEW, FTR has gained popularity and success by winning the AEW, Ring of Honor, IWGP, and AAA Tag Team Championships. However, FTR’s future with the company is unclear.

FTR’s Dax Harwood spoke openly about the team’s contract situation on the Jan. 12 episode of his podcast. He also received permission from his teammate Cash Wheeler to publicly discuss the team’s status. He said the team has no championship titles, so they have a clean slate for the year.

“… I’ve also got the blessing of Tony Khan to talk about this and make a statement about this. Tony has been nothing but top-notch to me and Dan since day one. There are things we haven’t agreed on, as any boss and any employee, and even any friend. There are times I felt the boat was missed on opportunities for us. There were times that I was super happy with everything we were doing,” said Harwood.

Harwood began to explain why the team’s future with AEW is uncertain. “But, there has come a time where we are on the tail end of our career, okay. I mean, I’m 38 years old. I talked last week about how hard it is for me to play with my daughter and things like that. We are on the tail end of our career now, so I think right now this point in our career is the most important time in our career. I mean that monetarily. I mean that creatively. I mean that personally. It is the most important time of our career. With that being said, we have asked and been granted the next few months off of television so we can sit back, reflect, decide, let our bodies heal and figure out what we are going to do for the next few years, because whatever we decided to do next will be the absolute last thing we do.”

Dax Harwood Talks About His Future and FTR’s Expiring Contract

It’s unclear what Wheeler thinks about the future of FTR or his career. However, Harwood is still determining if he or the team will be active in five years.

“…I don’t see myself after I’m done with whatever we are going to decide next. I don’t see myself in five years going on the independents and wrestling independents. I don’t see myself working in five years a Japan tour or a Mexico tour or traveling around the world and wrestling all over places. That’s why these next few months are the most important few months for us, said Harwood.

He continued, “…By April at least at most we will have an answer, but now again I have to take in my health, I have to take in my family, I have to take in my creativity and I have to take in my personal life all into consideration about what we are going to do next. I know what I want to do, but whatever we do I just want to be respected. We, I feel, I have done something so special in 2022 and most of that is in part to the fans. I think we deserve to continue to build on our legacy for ourselves, but also we owe it to the fans to build on that legacy because they made us this past year.

What’s Next For FTR?

Harwood confirmed that FTR’s contract would expire this April. He also shared that he isn’t sure how long FTR will not be on AEW TV. The company did tease a feud between The Gunn Club and FTR, but it’s uncertain if AEW will drop the storyline until they can confirm FTR will re-sign.

If FTR’s next contract is their last, it’s possible both Harwood and Wheeler could be in their early 40’s. The AEW tag team is in limbo as both men try to figure out what is best for themselves. That could also mean testing free agency in April for the best offers for their careers and personal life.

Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood will defend the IWGP World Tag Team Championships at Wrestle Kingdom 17, but the trip to the show has been far from easy.

The AEW tag team will defend their titles later today against Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi.)

The IWGP World Tag Championships are the only titles that FTR currently holds, after losing the Ring of Honor World Tag Titles and AAA World Tag Team Titles in December of last year.

Travel Delay

Taking to Twitter, Wheeler explained that he had intended to make the trip to Tokyo on Monday morning, but he was not allowed to board his flight.

A flight to Atlanta that would have allowed Wheeler to fly to Japan was also delayed before later being canceled.

With no alternative, Wheeler had to drive to Atlanta to make his flight to Japan, and only recently arrived at his hotel in Tokyo.

Despite these setbacks, Wheeler remained positive about the match, saying it is “can’t miss.”

IWGP World Tag Team Champions FTR

Today’s title defense will make the third for Wheeler and Dax Harwood who captured the titles at AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door in June of last year.

The AEW tag team’s first title defense was against Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis) at NJPW Royal Quest II in October 2022.

Their second defense saw Wheeler and Harwood retain against United Empire (Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan) at NJPW Battle Autumn in November, the same team FTR dethroned at Forbidden Door.

Is FTR’s tenure as AAA World Tag Team Champions coming to an end? Those in the company sure think so.

The team of Dash Harwood and Cash Wheeler won the titles for the first time on the October 16, 2021, episode of AEW Dynamite, defeating the Lucha Bros.

For the match, FTR donned green outfits and masks and called themselves ‘Las Super Ranas’ which translates to ‘The Super Frogs.’

FTR’s 438-day reign (and counting) is the third-longest reign in the history of the AAA World Tag Team Championships.

The End is Near

FTR’s tenure as the best tag team in AAA has been impressive but it could all come crashing down soon.

AAA talent are of the opinion that the World Tag Team Titles are expected to change hands “sooner rather than later” according to Fightful Select.

The team’s last AAA title defense came on the April 6, 2022 edition of AEW Dynamite, where they retained against the Young Bucks.

Their last title defense on an AAA show was back in March at AAA Gira Aniversario XXX, where they retained against Dragon Lee and Dralistico.

Other Titles

FTR has proven to be a dominant duo as the AAA World Tag Team Championships, but that’s not the only gold they have.

Harwood and Wheeler are also the reigning IWGP World Tag Team Champions, having won the titles from United Empire at AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door.

The Top Guys will defend these titles against Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi) at next week’s NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 event on January 4.

FTR recently held the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championships which they lost to The Briscoes at Final Battle earlier this month.

Dax Harwood of the popular FTR tag team is moving into the podcast arena starting next week. The reigning IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champion will co-host a new show titled, “FTR With Dax Harwood’ along with co-host Matt Koon.

Koon previously co-hosted the Gentleman Villain podcast with William Regal. That show has come to an end due to his AEW departure and imminent WWE return.

The debut episode of ‘FTR With Dax Harwood’ premieres December 29 at on AdFreeShows.com. Any potential involvement of his longtime tag team partner Cash Wheeler is also yet to be confirmed.

FTR No Longer Three-Promotion Tag Team Champions

Following Final Battle 2022, FTR are down to two of the three tag team titles they’ve held for much of this year.

At the ROH event, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler dropped the ROH Tag Team Championships to the Briscoe Brothers. The third of their bouts was a bloody Double Dog Collar Match that has received considerable acclaim.

On Wednesday’s Dynamite, FTR lost a non-title match to the Gunn Club. Dax Harwood ate a partner-assisted roll-up pinfall to end the match.

On January 4, the pair are set to defend their IWGP titles against World Tag League winners Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI. The recent losses of their belts, as well as an AEW Tag Team Title match against current champions The Acclaimed, has turned some heads lately.

Dax Harwood himself has confirmed that FTR’s AEW contracts finish in April 2023. The fan favorite tag team’s prospects could get very interesting if they choose to become free agents next year.

ROH Tag Team Champions FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) have been booked sparingly as of late by AEW President Tony Khan, despite being fan-favorites.

Dax Harwood in particular has a career year in 2022 in AEW. In addition to competing alongside his tag team partner, Harwood wrestled in several singles matches this year that received rave reviews from fans.

However, FTR hasn’t wrestled as a tag team in a 2 vs. 2 match in AEW since May 25th and fans are wondering what is going on. FTR competed against The Briscoes at ROH Death Before Dishonor in July and teamed with Wardlow to defeat Jay Lethal and the Motor City Machine Guns at AEW All Out on September 4th in a Trios match.

FTR Wants Tony Khan To Start Booking Them Again

FTR battled Aussie Open tonight at NJPW Royal Quest II. After the match, Dax Harwood grabbed the microphone and sent a message to Tony Khan.

Harwood said he wants the AEW President to book FTR more and Tony got some boos from the crowd at Royal Quest II. Harwood sent praise Aussie Open’s way and suggested that they may be the best tag team in professional wrestling today.

Dax continued to compliment Aussie Open on social media and suggested that a company should sign them to a contract fast.

Wardlow became the brand new AEW TNT Championship on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, but credits FTR’s Cash Wheeler for calming his nerves.

Wardlow TNT Title Win

On Wednesday, during AEW Dynamite, Wardlow won his first championship when he beat Scorpio Sky in a street fight to win the AEW TNT Championship.

Wardlow has been going straight to the top in AEW. He has been reaching and achieving new heights since he defeated MJF at AEW Revolution and gained his independence from his contract with MJF. 

Wardlow Thanks FTR

Wardlow recently spoke on Busted Open Radio and reflected on how he was feeling before heading to the ring for his title match.

The new TNT Champion said, “Honestly, I’m normally extremely nervous and on edge and focused, just tunnel vision type focus. Before the match, I was actually much more calm than usual. I don’t know why. Cash (Wheeler) gave me a pretty nice pep talk right before. That might have helped calm my nerves. Cash and Dax (Harwood) are always helping me out, those guys are phenomenal. 

I think Cash got in my head a little and reminded me to breathe and have fun and enjoy the moment and absorb it. ‘Tonight could be one of those nights that you want remember forever so make sure you absorb it so you can remember it.’ I tried to do that and I feel I did do that.

Wardlow Reflects On TNT Title Match

Oddly enough, it was the most comfortable I felt in the ring. The only time I felt similar was (against) CM Punk. It was kind of the same experience. That match and this match were the only two times I looked around at the crowd and looked at people and interacted with people and absorbed the moment and had fun in the match, other than getting kicked directly in the balls, other than that, a lot of fun.”

Wardlow added that he wished he could have celebrated with the fans for another hour after his title win.

H/T to Jeremy Lambert of Fightful for the transcription

Pinnacle was a popular but relatively short-lived group in the history of AEW. Dax Harwood of FTR believes it may have been the most mishandled thing in all of modern wrestling. The FTR recently had an interview with Joseph Staszewski of the New York Post. Among other things, they talked about the rise and fall of The Pinnacle.

Cash Wheeler first talked about the recent controversy involving the former leader of the group, MJF. He said that he hopes the young star gets what he wants:

“With Max right now, I don’t really know. I try to stay out of all the office business because I’m not very good at it and I’m not very good at hiding my emotions as it is. It’s just, I hope he gets what he wants. I know what it’s like to be in a spot where you don’t feel like where you want to be. So I hope he finds that.”

Most Mishandled Thing In Modern Wrestling

Discussing the end of the group, Wheeler said that he feels like they could have done things differently. Dax Harwood then shared his belief that it could have been one of the biggest angles in the modern wrestling history before claiming that he didn’t always see eye to eye with MJF on the plans for the faction:

“You called us to talk to FTR. I’m not here to talk about Max. I don’t care what Max does. I will say this, I think the Pinnacle may be the most mishandled thing in modern wrestling history because that could have been one of the biggest angles in the world, one of the biggest groups in the world. Max and I always didn’t see eye to eye and I’ll leave it at that.”

Apart from this, the duo talked about things such as the upcoming Forbidden Door PPV and what it would mean for them to win the IWGP tag team championships. The ROH tag team champions are set to compete in a triple threat match against the IWGP tag champs United Empire and Roppongi Vice in a winner takes all match at the show.

As expected, FTR paid homage to wrestling royalty during their Owen Hart Cup Tournament qualifier match.

Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler were in action on the April 27 episode of AEW Dynamite. The two have insisted that this was the first and last time they will wrestle each other and it lived up to the billing.

In the end, it was Dax Harwood who got the pinfall and he will move on to the opening round of the Owen Hart Cup.

Promo Joe has put together the tributes made by FTR. While the two honored Bret Hart and Owen Hart, they also paid homage to Scott Hall and Mr. Perfect.

Santana and Ortiz have weighed in on the nasty injury that Cash Wheeler suffered in their last meeting.

Santana and Ortiz collided with FTR on the July 28 edition of AEW Dynamite. Wheeler suffered a nasty arm injury. Wheeler’s arm reportedly got caught on a turnbuckle hook. Santana and Ortiz ended up losing the match after Dax Harwood pinned Ortiz.

During an appearance on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Santana and Ortiz spoke on the nasty injury and how they reacted in the moment.

“It was a gnarly situation because I was on the top rope with Dax, and I look over and all I see is, it looked like a water fountain,” Ortiz described. “Blood just came shooting out of Cash’s arm, and he just grabbed it and ran straight the doctor. We were freaking out a little bit. We were kind of like, alright, what are we gonna do? What are we gonna do? And we got to it, and we did the we could with the situation. And at that point, we just wanted to end the match, and obviously, we didn’t know how badly injured he was.

“We’re always taught to, for me, day one of pro wrestling to protect your opponent and protect yourself,” Santana added. “It was one of those things where I look back at it, and I was like, damn, what could I have done to avoid that situation? What could I have done to maybe help or whatever. It was one of those situations. It was a freak accident, and thankfully, he’s good and just keep it going.

“And we’re gonna run it back,” Ortiz noted.

The rematch between Santana & Ortiz and FTR will take place on the Sept. 1 edition of Dynamite.

At Fight for the Fallen last month, a match between Santana & Ortiz and FTR went to the finish early following a gruesome injury suffered by Cash Wheeler. A hook from the turnbuckle post caught his arm and tore into it. Doctors attended to Wheeler as Harwood ended up winning the match for his team.

Wheeler recently took to Twitter to share some gruesome photos of the injury. He also offered further details on how it has impacted him.

“August 28th I had a hook stab into my arm and rip it open. For almost a month I’ve been dealing with loss of grip strength, loss of feeling/nerve damage, and wondering if this is even worth it anymore. If this is the end, we’re taking a pound of flesh with us,” Wheeler wrote on Twitter.

The rematch between the two teams is scheduled for next week’s edition of Dynamite.

Both Wheeler and Harwood have dropped hints about possibly coming to the end of their wrestling careers.

The #4 ranked team in AEW have only lost one match this year. That was the Stadium Stampede match where the Inner Circle defeated the Pinnacle at Double or Nothing. They are 6-0 in 2-on-2 tag-team matches so far in 2021.

Dax Harwood of FTR has stated multiple times on social media now that he would like to challenge for the NWA World Tag Team Championships. The NWA seems on-board with this idea as well.

Harwood posted a video of The Midnight Express vs The Fantastics and a follower of his asked about FTR possibly competing in the Crockett Cup.

“That is incredibly important to us; especially now. The lineage of the NWA is deep & historic. We’d love the opportunity to fight for the belts too.”

The NWA Twitter account responded to Harwood’s comments.

This is the second time an interaction like this between FTR and the NWA has taken place. Last month, the NWA replied to a comment by Harwood about the history of the NWA tag belts. They noted that perhaps Tony Khan and Billy Corgan could have a discussion about this.

It was also noted on Twitter, that the NWA could bring back the Crockett Cup. The tournament was cancelled last year due to the global pandemic.

Harwood responded to the NWA’s comments as well.

Another noted tag-team wrestler, Xavier Woods, would like to attend any NWA tapings with FTR involved.

“Is this happening in atl? I’m right down the street from the studio,” he Tweeted.

FTR has shared their approach to tag team psychology and whether they believe AEW needs a 6-man championship.

Speaking with Fightful Select, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood explained how they approach tag team psychology. They revealed how, when it comes to finally hitting a hot tag, “you don’t want to come in and do a bunch of flips and roll like that.”

FTR shared how, because their partner has been beaten down for minutes on end, they would come charging with fists instead of flips.

“I’m going to come in and throw fists. I’m going to come in and beat the sh*t out of you. That’s the psychology of tag team wrestling that you can build so much around that.”  

FTR On 6-Man Tag Team Championships

When asked if they thought AEW needed 6-man tag team championships, FTR’s Wheeler expressed how the promotion could consider it “down the line.”

He explained how including them now would be akin to “trying to run before we can walk.”

Wheeler stressed how AEW is still building its tag team division and establishing all of its tag talents:

“We don’t need to bring more championships into the fold when these aren’t even established and are less than a year old. We don’t need to bring 6 man teams into the fold when we are still trying to establish the 2 man.”

He reiterated how AEW may consider it at some point in the future. However, until their current tag team division is firmly established, it would be an unnecessary endeavor.

Check out Fightful’s full interview with FTR:

All Elite Wrestling’s FTR recently appeared on Busted Open Radio. During their conversation, the team opened up about what frustrated them during their time in WWE. 

Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler acknowledged how they have a lot to be thankful for during their time in WWE. Harwood explained how WWE gave him the opportunity to “allow my family to have the life they did.”

Harwood then stressed how before he even had a family, he had a love and infatuation for professional wrestling. He confessed how FTR felt that, if they had stayed with WWE, they would be “spinning our wheels.” 

“There is so much more I want to give back to professional wrestling. I don’t want to just sit back and relax,” Harwood explained. “I don’t want to rest on any laurels or anything like that. We want to leave a mark and we want to leave a legacy in professional wrestling, and obviously, on top of that, we want to make money too. 

He explained how AEW and Tony Khan provided them with the opportunity to not only make money but to leave the legacy that matters to them. Harwood noted how they want to “do wrestling proud” and believes that competing in AEW is the way to do it.

FTR Unshackled

The team then turned their attention to their WWE finishing move, the Shatter Machine. FTR explained how, heading into AEW, there was one move both were eager to finally introduce into their arsenal: the spike piledriver.

It was explained how they had always wanted to use that move in WWE. There were even conversations with Triple H, who said no. That didn’t deter them, however, as they then went to Vince McMahon to ask permission. Ultimately, however, they were denied permission. 

Now in AEW, FTR has been using the spike piledriver as a purposeful “restart” for the team alongside the Shatter Machine.

It was stressed how no one has ever kicked out of the Shatter Machine, something they learned from “another great tag team that had the same kind of finisher with the same kind of premise.”

FTR is set to compete tonight on Fyter Fest Night Two. They team with The Young Bucks in an eight-man tag team match. They face off against The Butcher and The Blade and Lucha Brothers.

One of All Elite Wrestling’s newest tag teams, FTR, has stressed the importance of the promotion enforcing rules during tag team matches. FTR members, Dax Hardwood and Cash Wheeler, made their opinions clear during a recent interview with Busted Open Radio.

Addressing AEW’s seemingly inconsistent rule set, FTR stressed how AEW needs to “start clamping down on those things.”

According to FTR, more authority needs to be placed on the referee. The team argued how, without these enforced tag team rules, every match might as well be a Texas Tornado or Fatal Four Way match. 

“If there are no rules, there is no heat. There is no way to make somebody care or somebody to be in danger. There is no way to put sympathy to put heat on a baby face.”

They continued, “There is no way to get the explosion on a hot tag because the guy has already blown his own comeback before he’s down, before the tag. Then, all four guys are in the ring for the last 10 minutes anyway.”

FTR On A Generational Tag Team Approach

Clearly a passionate subject to the team, they confessed they “get pissed talking about it” as the flimsy ruleset needs to be “buckled down” on.

FTR explained how by adhering to a tag team structure every team will subsequently mean more to the division. It was noted that the approach could be a “generational thing.” They acknowledged how wrestling has evolved to feature more “flashy” sequences and that this approach has led to a lackadaisical adherence to the rules. 

They then argued how there is an opportunity to be creative within a tag team ruleset. FTR’s belief is that creativity in tag team wrestling comes from building a story around the tag team rules. 

FTR will be in action tonight on AEW Fyter Fest Night Two. They team with The Young Bucks in eight-man tag team action. They will face off against The Butcher and the Blade and Lucha Bros.

Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler debuted on AEW Dynamite last night.

Following the night’s opening match, the Young Bucks were attacked by the Butcher and the Blade. Harwood and Wheeler then drove into the stadium and acted as if they were going to attack the Bucks before then beating down the Butcher and the Blade.

The Young Bucks then extended a handshake offer to FTR but Harwood and Wheeler turned their backs on them and left.

FTR’s AEW debut can be seen in the player below:

Shortly after their segment last night, Harwood & Wheeler (as well as ShopAEW) posted to Twitter and revealed what “FTR” actually stands for: “F*ck The Rest.”

As it turns out, there are multiple names FTR stands for.

The tag-team also debuted on Dynamite on the 24-year anniversary of Scott Hall invading Nitro and kickstarting the NWO angle.

Fear The Revolt?

Harwood and Wheeler received a Cease and Desist letter from a tag-team named the Revolt. In response, FTR’s attorneys noted that their team name is FTR and what that stands for can change based on storylines.

“Our clients do not intend and have never intended to call themselves FEAR THE REVOLT,” Harwood and Wheeler’s attorney responded to the letter. “They have at all times and in every way made it clear that their tag team name would be FTR, and that FTR can and would mean different things depending on their storyline and creative. They are not responsible for and cannot be held responsible for dirt sheets and others incorrectly attributing to them a name other than the name they have chosen, FTR.”

• The Revival Receive Cease & Desist Letter For “The Revolt” Name

Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler, formerly known as Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder, were guests recently on Talk is Jericho. During the discussion, the team now known as the Revolt discussed asking WWE for their release from the company.

“It was somewhere around mid-January of 2019 that we initially had talked to some of the office and asked for our release,” Wheeler said. “At the time, we were under the impression, we were told we were going to get it, things obviously changed.”

Wheeler continued to say they asked for their release after defeating the Lucha House Party on RAW.

“Dax and I, we’d been debating for months if we wanted to stay or not,” he continued.

“We had said, after this loop, let’s wait until we’re on the upswing so it doesn’t look like we’re only upset because we’re losing. Let’s wait until it’s on the upswing and then ask. That way people know it’s not just about us, it’s about the tag-team division as a whole.”

He continued to say that there is not enough attention paid to the tag-team division in WWE.

“(Braun Strowman) had steamrolled the entire tag-team division and then a 10-year-old won the tag titles at WrestleMania and then no tag-teams were featured on SummerSlam until the last minute they added the women’s tag titles,” he continued.

“We wanted to make a point, the tag-team division doesn’t get respect, it doesn’t get the time that we think a lot of these teams deserve and we want to take chances on ourselves. So, that’s why we asked when we asked.”

• EC3 Sends Out A Warning: Fear The Revolt (Video)

Dax Harwood On When It Came Out They Had Asked For Their Release

Harwood continued to talk about how it seemed everyone knew they had asked for their release after they had done so.

“I’m not kidding you, as soon as we walked out of that talent relations office, everyone knew. I don’t know how but everyone knew that we had asked for it.”

“Right after that is whenever people started saying we were complaining. We were getting tagged a lot on Twitter that we were just complaining and being crybabies but I dare you to ask any of our coworkers if they ever heard us complain.”