On the post-show media scrum, Harwood praised his mentor and close personal friend.
“This man is one of the greatest of all time and his career is what everybody strives to have when they start in professional wrestling.”
Harwood also addressed the criticism Copeland faced following his injury at Double or Nothing, where a high-risk dive from a steel cage led to him being out of action for months.
“People like to criticize what we do and they ask him, they question him. This is Adam f****** Copeland. If he wants to jump off a cage, let him jump off a cage. If he breaks his leg, he breaks his leg.”
Dax Harwood has explained why the upcoming Dynamite taping from Ashville is special.
The January 1 Dynamite: Fight For The Fallen special will mark the start of a new era for AEW. As part of their new TV deals, the show from Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, NC will be simulcasted on Max for the first time ever.
Harwood who hails from North Carolina himself explained why the taping is so special during a new interview with 3NTWrestling. He revealed that it’s the first entertainment show coming to the city after it was devastated by Hurricane Helene.
The AEW star noted that Khan could have taken the show to a bigger city to make a better impression on first-time watchers but helping Ashville was a priority for him. He went on to reveal how the AEW President had previously helped the relief efforts for survivors of the natural disaster on their one request:
“A lot of people don’t know this, but Tony called. We talked to Tony, myself and Adam [Copeland]. We talked to Tony. He said, ‘What do you need from me?’ He had already donated a ton of money.
Adam said, ‘Well, we’ve got these Starlinks. These huge Starlinks that they’ve donated here. Elon Musk has donated here, but we don’t have the small Starlinks to go out into the woods, to go out to the top of the mountains, so we can find people and give them cell service. So we can communicate with.’
Tony without any hesitancy, if that’s even a word, he sent hundreds of Starlinks to Asheville, North Carolina, on his own dime. He made sure that that was something we were able to do to find people who were lost.”
Dax Harwood also noted how his tag team partner Cash Wheeler had also set up a GoFundMe and collected over $70,000 to help the relief efforts at the time. Harwood himself was on the ground helping people at the time of need as well. He and Adam Copeland were assisting FEMA workers with search and rescue.
FTR have challenged Death Riders to a fight at the upcoming Dynamite episode and teased that they won’t be coming alone. While Dax did not provide any update on his mystery partner during the talk, the tease coincides perfectly with reports of a former world champion’s imminent return.
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.”
The devastation from #HurricaneHelene left a path of destruction throughout the Appalachian region. @RatedRCope & FTR's @DaxFTR explain how you can help!
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.
Big prayers for everyone who will be affected by Hurricane Milton down in Florida. If you'd like to donate to some causes to help the damages done in North Carolina. Here are the QR codes #AEWDynamite presented last night. pic.twitter.com/pBYflWzvGg
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.
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.
Adam Copeland is making strides toward his in-ring return following an injury, while Sting’s son, Steve Borden Jr., may be preparing for a debut of his own in the wrestling world.
Copeland, formerly known as Edge, has been sidelined since suffering a broken tibia during his steel cage match against The House of Black at AEW’s Double or Nothing over Memorial Day weekend. However, recent photos suggest the WWE Hall of Famer is back in the gym, training alongside notable names such as FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler), Darby Allin, and Sting’s son, Steve Borden Jr.
The workout session, captured in a photo shared by Harwood with the caption, “Album drops soon,” has sparked intrigue among fans. The sight of Copeland training with such a talented group hints at a potential return to action in the near future, while the presence of Steve Borden Jr. fuels speculation about his future in professional wrestling.
Borden Jr. first caught attention when he appeared dressed as his father, the iconic “Surfer Sting,” during Sting’s retirement match at AEW Revolution. Since then, the former college football player has expressed interest in pursuing a wrestling career. Darby Allin initially revealed this news back in May, adding further excitement about the younger Borden’s potential debut.
Sting himself also acknowledged his son’s aspirations during his speech at the Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion in Las Vegas, where he expressed pride in having both his sons, Garrett and Steve Jr., present for his farewell to the ring.
Sting talks about his special entrance with his sons at the AEW Revolution post-show press conferene
As for Copeland, he reflected on the injury, admitting that his high-risk dive onto Malakai Black during the cage match was a decision he now regrets. Longtime friend Hulk Hogan has echoed this sentiment, noting that Copeland didn’t need to take such a dangerous risk at this stage of his career.
Currently, FTR is involved in a mini-feud with The Grizzled Young Veterans as they build toward AEW All Out. Darby Allin, meanwhile, was last seen in action at AEW All In, where he lost a coffin match to Jack Perry.
Dax Harwood spoke about the youngster during an Instagram live. He revealed that Tommy Billington received an AEW contract offer the same night as his match against Harwood. The next day WWE called close aides of Billington to check whether he had an interest in joining WWE. However, Billington decided to sign with AEW.
Billington has had a couple of impressive outings against veterans Konosuke Takeshita and Dax Harwood in recent months. His match against Dax Harwood gained traction. Though he lost the matches, he was able to put up impactful performances.
Fans speculated about his contract status and Fightful reported that “according to talent close to Tommy, they say that he’s been signed by AEW.” While WWE and NXT also expressed their interest Tommy was determined to sign with AEW. The 23-year-old star Tommy Billington is undoubtedly a promising talent and he has a bright future ahead. After starting his career in 2018, he has competed in several independent promotions including RCW, WPW, DEFY.
We will have to wait and see how he performs in AEW in his future matches.
After a frustrating run with WWE, AEW presented new opportunities for Harwood and Wheeler. The decision to leave WWE proved to be the right one for their careers, as they’ve cemented their legacies under the ‘All Elite’ banner. Harwood took a moment this week to commemorate their anniversary with AEW.
Thanks to the haters
Dax expressed his gratitude and also let off a few ‘live rounds’ at former wrestling personalities who have been negative about the company they’ve helped build.
“…Sometimes, online, I get a lot of flack for either defending AEW too often or being soft when it comes to criticism of the company. Mostly by ex-wrestling personalities, who now have an outlet to speak and use AEW for clicks & likes, which is completely ironic because they all hope for the very worst for the company that they monetize the most from.”
Although the AEW superstar didn’t name anyone specifically, he has recently had issues with former WCW President Eric Bischoff, and his negative comments could have been aimed at him. Regardless, Harwood took the time to thank AEW for being with them for four years and how much they meant to his career.
“…Without this company, I doubt I’d still be in wrestling. All I ever wanted was to do something GOOD for pro wrestling. That was never going to happen without AEW,” wrote Harwood
Accomplishments
Since joining the company, FTR has won the AEW Tag Team Championships twice. They’ve also added the Ring of Honor, AAA, and IWGP tag team titles to their remarkable list of accomplishments. Harwood continued to reflect on what FTR has achieved thanks to AEW.
“…I’ve become a 10(time) World Tag Team Champion. I’ve won numerous awards from internationally reputable organizations. Above all, I’ve made a living that takes care of my family(Yes, I know I say it all the time) incredibly well, all because of AEW,” Harwood posted.
He also added that he defends the company and AEW President Tony Khan out of passion for his career. On potentially their last deal, FTR seems content with finishing their career in AEW and putting on excellent tag team matches. Harwood is already looking to enjoy the rest of his time with the company and be around to see AEW succeed 40 years from now.
For this moment, FTR can appreciate four great years with the company as they aim to show why they are one of the best tag teams in wrestling every week.
YouTube Playlist: FTR’s best AEW World Tag Title defenses:
Dax Harwood and Eric Bischoff has gone back and forth with one another on social media before, but Monday night the two took it to a whole new level.
Bischoff has always been vocal when it comes his constructive criticism on AEW. Eric’s opinion was even more resounding following the recent buzz Tony Khan has been getting after the polarizing angle from last week’s Dynamite and the former WCW President had some more words regarding the current AEW President.
Harwood, who in 2023 re-signed with AEW, decided to express his thoughts regarding Eric’s “obsession” with Khan on his “83 Weeks” podcast, calling him “stalkerish.”
“I know it’s your gimmick and the other guys pay you well to bury AEW, but checking out your timeline & all the Tony tweets and RT’s, it looks very stalkerish. Netflix “Baby Reindeer” would do you a bit of good, my brother in Christ.”
Bischoff wasn’t having any of that, stating that Dax is the pot calling the kettle black.
“Says the chunky little monkey that studies my timeline. That’s weird.”
Says the chunky little monkey that studies my timeline. That's weird. https://t.co/COe3TUEZAG
Eric then decided to unload on Harwood following fan input who labeled Dax a hypocrite. Bischoff went on to call Harwood “mid as mid can get” and that his supposed “loyalty” to Khan is just a means as holding onto the bag as long as he can. He also threw another jab, calling Dax a future greeter at Walmart.
Don't be so hard on him. He's as mid as mid can get. He knows it. He's flailing away trying to prove his “loyalty” so he can hold on to that bag as long as possible. He knows that being a Walmart greeter is his next stop. https://t.co/UE2KnmaU1h
Earlier this year, Harwood said Bischoff was a “miserable podcaster” as he and FTR Wheeler said Eric was just upset that Tony Khan had never hired him. On several occassions, Bischoff has made clear he really took issue with Khan after he took a dig at Ted Turner.
Bischoff isn’t the only top WCW talent to dole out constructive criticism to Khan. Kevin Nash has expressed his thoughts on the current AEW product. Both he and Bischoff had made it quite clear that they want to see AEW succeed.
Welcome the Daily Drop, your daily roundup of wrestling news and rumors for Thursday, April 4. Fans had AEW Dynamite last night, and it’s only one day away from the WWE Hall of Fame the go-home SmackDown before WrestleMania.
– Ronda Rousey Accuses Drew Gulak:Rousey brought attention to Drew Gulak when she claimed that he grabbed the string on her sweatpants, which she said was an illustration of the culture within WWE toward women. He later responded to the allegation.
– Dax Seemingly Responds: Dax Harwood had a chance to cut a promo after AEW Dynamite this week. Many fans believe that he was answering back to CM Punk’s comments about the company that he made during his Ariel Helwani interview on the MMA Hour.
Dax cut a promo following AEW Dynamite last night responding to the comments his friend CM Punk made on MMA Hour. pic.twitter.com/L9BT3pmtpx
– MJF & The Rock: MJF had to respond to The Rock when the People’s Champion wanted to buy a work of art that MJF’s ex painted. Needless to say, that resulted in quite a viral moment.
– AEW Releases: In case you missed it, we have compiled a tracker for AEW releases and departures in 2024. You may find that list here.
Upcoming Wrestling Shows
Looking ahead, here are some of the major upcoming shows that we have in the pipeline:
April 6:NXT Stand & Deliver and WrestleMania XL Saturday from Philadelphia, PA.
April 7: WrestleMania XL Sunday from Philadelphia, PA.
April 21: All Elite Wrestling presents AEW Dynasty live on pay-per-view from St. Louis, Missouri at the Chaifetz Arena.
May 4: WWE Backlash France from Décines-Charpieu, France at the LDLC Arena.
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.
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.
Tony Khan may think some wrestling legends are rooting against him and AEW, but that’s extremely far from the case. All of his critics with any sort of credibility have benefited from competition and know that AEW being a success is only better for pro wrestling, including WWE.
Randy Savage notoriously said, “the cream always rises,” and the cream was rising for AEW for the first couple of years, but many factors have put a lid on that cream. Now it’s sitting in the fridge behind a carton of week-expired egg whites.
The AEW President needs to take any assumed vitriol out of his head and take heed of what the veterans are saying, especially if he wants AEW to catch that momentum it once had.
Khan and former WCW President Eric Bischoff have gone back and forth on X which is nearly as entertaining as the Monday Night Wars (and unfortunately, more engaging than the current AEW product), but a narrative is getting spun that is pretty inaccurate.
In a recent interview, FTR claimed that Bischoff has been critical of AEW because Khan didn’t give Bischoff a job with the company. On his podcast, Eric has stated several times he never wanted to work for AEW and that his original bone of contention with Khan began back when Tony took shots at Ted Turner. On top of that, Bischoff has made clear he wants AEW to succeed. Bischoff is blunt and abrasive in his criticisms at times, but his insight is always constructive. FTR and Khan just aren’t getting a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.
Another name to get arrows slung his way is Bully Ray. On Busted Open Radio, the Dudley Boy has implored Khan to put his phone down and step away from social media. Additionally, he’s been very open about his criticisms of officiating and admits that he has to look at AEW with a different set of eyes than he does with WWE because AEW offers an alternative in wrestling. He noted that Khan didn’t grow up underneath the learning tree of a wrestling promoter, therefore he’s not technically a booker, but a matchmaker.
A third legend to give some sound advice has been Konnan. Much like he does with Bischoff, Khan has a contentious social media relationship with Konnan’s K100 co-host, Disco Inferno. After Khan posted some harsh words towards the former WCW star after Disco said the company needed a “reset” the two friends discussed it on their podcast with Konnan stating that Khan needs to listen to the constructive criticism thrown his way, filtering all the helpful feedback from the negative.
One name who is genius, but one can completely understand Khan steering clear from is Jim Cornette. Cornette is perhaps the most polarizing name out of all legends critical of AEW and does so with his signature venomous vernacular. Many fans simply tune in to hear Cornette crack back at AEW, but Khan would really have to void himself of all emotion to accept what Cornette has to say. Cearly one could get something beneficial from his input, but while Bischoff offers no sugar, Corny offers a spoonful of salt (to the wound). That being said, if Khan appointed someone to listen to the show, the AEW President would have plenty to garner and harvest.
Nuance and context have never coincided with the cesspool that can be social media. Just like it’s important to anyone dabbling in the dark arts, if the very busy Khan had the time to do further dive into what gets said about him and his company, he’d learn a lot about himself and the legends who only want what’s best for business.
FTR has been a staple of AEW Collision since the beginning. The pair quickly became allies of CM Punk when Punk returned to AEW programming as part of the first Collision. Speaking to WTKR, Dax Harwood compared Collision to Dynamite.
“Dynamite could be more of your sports entertainment based show and I think Collision is more of your sports based show. On Collision, we like to feature that knockdown, drag out hard-hitting style.”
Cash Wheeler also had praise for AEW’s newest weekly TV show.
“They’re really fun shows, especially on a Saturday night. There’s plenty of time to come in, have a great time, and get out by 10:00 and still have your Saturday night.”
The Ultimate Goal
For FTR, being one of the top teams in professional wrestling is nothing short of a dream come true. In the interview, Harwood said as a kid, he dreamed of being a wrestler or a power ranger.
“I was allowed to be a professional wrestler. Living that dream on national television every single week, the greatest tag team of all time, ten time world tag team champions, those are the things that you dream about.”
Wheeler chimed in about the impact wrestling has had on them and what is the ultimate goal.
“Wrestling has legitimately saved our lives. To leave wrestling better than we found is the ultimate goal.”
Has FTR figured out the ‘real’ reason for Eric Bischoff’s criticism of AEW?
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.
AEW’s Dax Harwood has opened up about some of the issues that he experienced during his tenure with WWE.
Signing with WWE in 2012, Harwood would spend time in NXT, Raw, and SmackDown, and would hold tag gold on each brand with Cash Wheeler.
In 2020, the pair once known as The Revival were granted their requested releases from WWE, and would debut for AEW in May of that year.
Superstar Attributes
Standing at five-foot-ten and tipping the scales at 223lbs, Harwood isn’t what your non-wrestling fan would consider a prototypical WWE Superstar.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated this week, Harwood opened up about his size and was well aware that he didn’t fit WWE’s mold of their usual top star.
“We weren’t blessed with superstar attributes. Look at Hulk Hogan and then look at Dax Harwood, and you see the obvious differences.”
Dax Harwood.
Despite this, WWE has had some smaller stars reach the top of the card, including Shawn Michaels (at the time the smallest World Champion,) CM Punk, and Daniel Bryan.
Backstage Issues
In the years since his WWE exit, Harwood has spoken openly about his difficulties adjusting to the main roster, after an impressive run in WWE NXT.
In the interview, Harwood said how issues affected every part of his run, right down to the verbiage he used on TV.
“There were battles backstage in WWE. I’ve been handed a script where my verbiage was, ‘I’m going to take the tracker down yonder.’ That’s not how I speak. I have two degrees, one in business communication and one in English, ones that I paid for myself.
“I had to fight for that verbiage to be taken away. If I hadn’t, I never would have reached the success I have.”
FTR’s final nail in the coffin was when they were pitched ‘Flava Flav-inspired redesigns by Vince McMahon, and the tag-team left shortly after.
Dax Harwood has teased leaving All Elite Wrestling within a matter of weeks after being snubbed by the promotion following the Wrestling Observer’s awards.
Harwood, alongside Cash Wheeler, joined AEW in 2020, one month after being granted their release from WWE.
The former Raw, SmackDown, and NXT Tag Team Champions signed over their considerable down-side guarantees in order to be released without a non-compete clause in effect.
In AEW, the pair are former AEW World Tag Champions and have also held tag gold for New Japan Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and AAA.
The Snub
This week, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter shared its annual awards, and there were a lot of victories for the stars of AEW.
On Twitter, the official AEW account congratulated several AEW stars, including Bryan Danielson for the Best Technician, and MJF for Most Charismatic.
Tony Khan also received a celebratory tweet for winning Best Booker for the third year in a row, and Promoter of the Year for the fourth time.
FTR, who won Tag Team of the Year, did not receive such a congratulatory message, something Harwood vented about in a tweet of his own.
Dax Harwood’s future with AEW remains uncertain at this time, and the FTR member sure wants fans to think that a WWE return is coming.
Harwood joined AEW in 2020 alongside tag partner Cash Wheeler, after exiting WWE just a month earlier.
The Revival signed over their downside guarantees to WWE in order to be released without the standard 90-day non-compete clause.
WWE Return
December 2022 was hardly a great month for FTR, who lost the ROH World Tag Team Championships to the Briscoes, and the AAA Tag Gold to Dragon Lee and Dralistico.
At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, FTR lost the IWGP World Tag Team Titles, and are currently taking a break from all wrestling ventures.
On Instagram, Harwood shared an image from his home, and eagle-eyed followers spotted what appeared to be some WWE paperwork in the bottom-left corner.
On Twitter, Harwood shared the same image but cropped the WWE logo out.
Finally got my hands on @DrinkCazcanes! An Additive free tequila with a rich flavor profile.
FTR has stated that their AEW deals will expire this April, but it remains unclear whether this current hiatus will add time to their contracts.
The pairing of Harwood and Cash Wheeler certainly benefited under Triple H’s tenure as Head of NXT, leaving some to speculate on a return to WWE’s main roster now that the Game is Head of Talent and Creative.
What’s next for FTR?
While a return to AEW or even a return to WWE are two options, FTR’s future may take them outside of the ring, or at least off camera.
Both Harwood and Wheeler have expressed interest in possibly returning to the indies for a limited run away from TV.
Harwood has also said that he and Cash are looking at potential locations for a wrestling school, and they are considering a coffee shop project, as well as real estate ventures.
FTR didn’t have the best year in 2021. The tag team was stuck in limbo after jumping ships from WWE to AEW and they didn’t get a lot of opportunities to showcase their talent. The duo of Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler decided to change this in 2022 and the team that helped them in this task was none other than The Briscoes.
Harwood talked about their highly praised feud with the ROH veterans on the latest episode of his podcast. He remembered their first encounter at ROH Final Battle in December, 2021 where FTR attacked The Briscoes. Per Dax, there were no plans for them in the place at the time and they just wanted to test the waters:
“We just wanted to test the waters. We just wanted to see what was gonna happen. Myself and Cash, really were in a low point in our career. We weren’t doing anything. We begged Tony to let us do that.”
– Dax Harwood
‘We Deserve To Be On National Television’: Dax Harwood
The Final Battle confrontation led to a highly praised match between the two teams at Supercard of Honor 2022. It was the time when the future of ROH was in question. So the two teams decided to go out with a blaze of glory and prove that they deserved to be on national television every week:
“We knew we could go. If Ring of Honor was going to go out, the four of us could go out with a blaze of glory and say, ‘This is who we are. This is what we represent and we deserve a job somewhere. We deserve to be on national television every week somewhere.’ That was our mindset going into it. Then the match happened. Man, it was f**king magical.”
The match between FTR and The Briscoes at Supercard of Honor was awarded a five-star rating by Dave Meltzer. It helped both the teams create buzz. They went on to have two more highly praised matches that helped put them back on the map.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Dax Harwood has opened up about FTR asking for their WWE release in 2020.
The Revival, Harwood and Cash Wheeler, joined WWE as a duo back in 2014, spending several years in NXT before getting the call up to the main roster. Ultimately, the team’s run with WWE came to an end in 2020 after being granted their requested release.
Recently, Harwood took to The FTR podcast to open up about the team’s decision to leave WWE, and how the process went down. Harwood explained how the conversation with Vince McMahon went and gave the team’s reasons for wanting to leave.
“So we had asked for our release. Initially, we were told ‘are you sure you want to do this because there’s a big quote-unquote wind of change coming, and we would love for you to be a part of it.’ We said, respectfully, we would love to have our release.
“We need to go out, make a name for ourselves, and hopefully come back and make more money but also increase our marketability for you. Vince said okay, I’ll have Mark Carrano contact you tomorrow and start the process. This was again, earlier in the year, not SummerSlam.”
Triple H apparently attempted to try and keep The Revival onboard, and although they stuck around a few months more, ultimately the team stuck to their decision and ultimately went through with the release.
“Mark Carrano called and some things led to other things and we talked to Hunter. He said, ‘we can’t let you go right now. But in six months, if you’re not happy with the position you’re in in our company than we can revisit the conversation.’
“We said okay, thank you. Obviously, we respected Hunter and had a lot of faith and trust in him anyway; we had no reason to doubt him. Come around SummerSlam time, we were pretty sure we weren’t going to be figured in, but we had done all we could to get our release.”
During their time with WWE The Revival captured the NXT Tag Team Titles twice, before going on to the main roster where they were two-time RAW Tag Team Champions, and one-time holders of the SmackDown Tag Team Titles.
Currently, FTR work for both AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where they are former Tag Team Champions for both organizations.
Dax Harwood was not happy when Brock Lesnar squashed Kofi Kingston to end his WWE Title run.
On the newest episode of “FTR with Dax Harwood,” Harwood offered his thoughts on the first-ever episode of SmackDown Live on FOX. The episode featured the return of Brock Lesnar, who challenged then-WWE Champion Kofi Kingston for the title.
Lesnar squashed Kingston for the title in seconds in the main event of the night. Putting an end to Kingston’s historic and memorable run as WWE Champion. Harwood explained why this upset him.
“I was very, very upset,” Dax Harwood said. “I remember that I texted Kofi, and actually it was a group text with the three of them, The New Day and myself and Dan [Cash Wheeler], and I apologized to him and said, I’m so sorry this happened to you, man. We’re so upset. I can’t believe this is for real. Not because of obviously anything with Brock but how much we had worked and how hard he had worked to get to this point.
“Dude, especially when we were working with him, with Randy, I saw him outside of Vince’s office or go into Vince’s office every single week to try to make things better, to try to make his championship run better. He worked so hard to be a great champion, and I think a lot of people, maybe they think, oh, man, his championship run wasn’t successful because, you know, whatever.
“It wasn’t for lack of trying because I saw him every week, man. Try his damnedest to make something of nothing, and it broke all of our hearts, the whole locker room. It broke all of our hearts that that’s where the championship was being taken. Because not anything to do with Brock. But because Kofi had worked so hard. And seeing someone work so hard for so long to get this opportunity taken away from him.”
Kofi Kingston
The match is something that Kingston himself has spoken on since. Kingston admits he’d have at least liked a longer match with Lesnar if he was to drop the title. He also would’ve liked the opportunity for a rematch, which is customary for a champion after dropping the title.
However, Kingston didn’t receive that rematch opportunity after all. With that being said, Kingston says he doesn’t dwell on it, nor should he, as he’s still one-third of one of the most successful factions in WWE tag team history.
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.
Dax Harwood’s new FTR podcast has only had one episode so far, but the show is already garnering both a following and a backlash.
Harwood’s new show with co-host Matt Koon replaces William Regal’s Gentleman Villain podcast, which has ended due to Regal’s departure from AEW and iminent return to WWE.
The first episode of the FTR podcast featured an in-depth discussion of CM Punk, who is currently on an extended hiatus from All Elite Wrestling.
Among the many Punk-related topics discussed, Harwood pleaded with Punk and The Elite to sit down and make amends so they can all move forward and do business together.
On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that people in AEW were ‘not particularly happy’ with everything that was said.
“From what I heard from different people, not the people who you probably heard from, they were not particularly happy at all about this. All I heard the other day was how unhappy people were about that podcast.”
Dave Meltzer.
It has been speculated that Harwood’s pro-Punk stance has caused this backlash, given that many in AEW are against bringing back the former World Champion.
When Harwood’s comments were shared on Instagram, Punk commented “Duh.”
Dax Harwood has been especially busy as of late, competing for ROH, AEW, and AAA, but the FTR member is working hurt.
Harwood and Cash Wheeler recently competed at AAA’s Noches de Campeones event, losing the AAA World Tag Team Titles to Dragon Lee and Dralistico.
Post-match, Dragon Lee announced that he has signed with WWE and the titles have since been vacated.
Working Hurt
This title loss comes mere weeks after FTR was dethroned as Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champions, losing to The Briscoes at ROH Final Battle.
Harwood is still banged up from the Double Dog Collar match and is working through the pain, Fightful Select reports.
Harwood was reportedly injured after being suplexed by Jay Briscoe onto a pile of steel chairs.
What’s Next for FTR?
There’s no rest for Harwood though, as he and Wheeler will be defending the IWGP World Tag Team Championships next week at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17.
FTR, who won the titles at AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door in June of this year, will defend against Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi.)
In a previous report from Fightful, Harwood told the site that he believes his and Wheeler’s contracts with AEW expire in April of next year.
Harwood also suggested that the pair may take a year away from pro-wrestling, or possibly just work non-televised events.
Speaking on the final episode of the Gentleman Villain podcast this month, Harwood refuted claims that they complained backstage about their role in WWE, adding that they knew they’d stay “in the rut” if they remained with the promotion.
Is CM Punk open to returning to All Elite Wrestling given the right circumstances?
Duh!
Punk hasn’t been seen on AEW TV since All Out where he became a two-time World Champion, dethroning Jon Moxley.
The Chicago-Made wrestler’s incendiary comments on the post-show media scrum would lead to a fight backstage, resulting in Punk and others being suspended.
Duh
It is believed that Punk’s time with AEW is coming to an end, with reports that he is seeking a buyout from the promotion.
During this week’s FTR podcast, Dax Harwood spoke about his hope that Punk will be able to return and make amends with The Elite
“This is my plea to all four guys. Please find a way to make it work. If we can make it work, we can set up the future of professional wrestling for a long time.”
Dax Harwood.
Responding to a quote of Harwood’s comments, which added that Punk and the Elite should “just shake hands and say sorry” Punk responded with a simple “Duh.”
CM Punk has reportedly requested a buyout of his AEW deal, something that the company is in no hurry to grant him.
The belief is that AEW’s higher-ups fear Punk will join WWE soon, bringing a ton of attention to their competition.
It has been reported that some in WWE are against the idea of bringing Punk back, believing he will only bring trouble similar to what has been seen in AEW.
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.
As good of friends as they’ve become, they didn’t actually meet until Punk came to work for AEW. Harwood had a preconceived notion of his new co-worker and thought Punk would say something about his clothes. Punk didn’t and Harwood realized he was wrong about him.
Dax Harwood on WWE and AEW locker rooms
When asked if there’s less communication because AEW flies its talent in weekly versus traveling together for days at a time, Harwood says no. “I don’t think there’s less communication in comparison to WWE. I think there had been times where wrestlers have leaked that to the dirt sheets for whatever reason, but they’ve never experienced wrestling outside of independents; I have. In WWE, at the time that I was there — it could’ve changed now — there was no communication at all. Even up til the start time of the show, communication was very hit or miss.”
“So, I don’t think there’s a lack of communication there. As far as politics go, the political game in WWE was not bad at all. The boys got along great. I think the girls got along great as well. There was no real political maneuvering there in WWE. I think the problems were between the office and the boys. That’s where the problems were.”
“In AEW, I don’t think there’s a lot of politics there either, to be honest. The boys have a male locker room and the people who share that locker room, share a bond and share a kinship and every single day — and I think you could ask anybody — every single day, myself or myself and Cash bring a bottle of tequila and we have drinks with the guys, just to make that camaraderie even stronger. To make the kinship even stronger. So, I don’t think there’s any political games as far as that goes.”
Competition with the Young Bucks
“I think that when you’re in a position of power, obviously — even when you’re not in a position of power — you’re going to look out for your best interests because no one else is going to look out for your interests the way you are. But, when you’re in a position of power, you’re allowed to look out for your best interest and more often than not you’re allowed to get it. But again, playing politics; I don’t know if that’s what you call it.”
“(…) I feel like there’s that competition between us and the Young Bucks. I think it’s a healthy thing because that’s why our 2022 was so great because we didn’t know what we were going to get. We didn’t know what opportunities were going to come our way. We knew and had made a promise at the end of 2021, that whatever we got, we were going to kill it and we were going to have fun doing it. And so whenever you have competition, some things could be misconstrued as political agendas, but more often than not, you’re just trying to compete and be better than everyone else.”
FTR will be facing Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI) for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles on January 4, 2023 at Wrestle Kingdom 17.
