Dax Harwood of FTR is starting a new podcast with co-host Matt Koon for Ad-Free Shows. And while many in AEW remain tight-lipped about the ‘CM Punk Situation’ in AEW, Harwood is dedicating an entire podcast episode to it!

For those unaware, CM Punk has been MIA since his world title win against Jon Moxley at AEW All Out, in September of 2022. This is due to comments he made at the post-show media scrum, in which he called members of The Elite ‘Children’ who ‘couldn’t manage a Target.’ Punk also called ‘Hangman’ Adam Page ‘an empty-headed f*cking dumb f*ck.’

Punk also had words for Colt Cabana and others. The situation was a bleak one, made even worse by an alleged ‘backstage melee’ that occurred between Punk, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Ace Steele, Ace Steele’s wife, and Larry the Dog. It’s alleged that punches were thrown, chairs were also, um, thrown, and arms were bitten. It was a very volatile situation that resulted in the suspension of The Elite and the banishing of Punk.

There are still so many questions that have yet to be answered regarding that night in Chicago. It looks like it may still be sometime before fans get answers, but Harwood is certainly open to giving his own opinion about the situation.

Punk’s Love for AEW

Harwood spoke in-depth about how much Punk loved being in AEW.

“Punk was still so joyous and happy to be in the wrestling business,” Harwood stated. “To be honest, he told me, when they were going to put the belt on him, that he didn’t want the belt. He said, ‘I just want to have fun,’ but he understood that Tony putting the belt on him would put AEW in a better light. He took it, begrudgingly a little bit, but he took the belt.

At the time, he was taking me, Cash, Max [MJF], Wardlow, Hobbs, I’m missing so many guys, he was taking us out to eat, always paying for it. He bought all the girls in the locker room Starbucks gift cards and had one of the girls hand them out, anonymously, and didn’t say who they were from, but it was from him, just because he loved the atmosphere and loved being there. He also loved the work the girls were putting in. He thought they were busting their ass to try and get the attention that WWE’s women’s division was getting.”

CM Punk vs ‘Hangman’ Adam Page

That love for wrestling was obvious in many of the interviews and promo segments that Punk offered, but it seemed as though things took a turn during Punk’s program with Hangman Adam Page. Punk alleges that Hangman went “off script” during a promo segment between the two, and that’s when things began going downhill.

“After the promo segment, I went to Punk and I said, ‘that was really good, that was a great segment,” Harwood shared. “They got the fans to react. It’s hard sometimes to get the fans to react to a babyface-babyface match. I thought it was a great segment. He was like, ‘Ahhh, I’m kind of feeling a certain way about it.’ I had no inkling that anything went wrong or went sideways or anything like that.”

But sideways it did go; the result of which being Punk no longer in AEW for the time being. Harwood said that he had no idea about the fight that happened backstage until Punk actually called him to explain the situation.

“All the boys in the locker room were drinking and having a good time, and we were hugging, I have picture of me and Jay Lethal on the ground together just laughing our ass off,” Harwood remembered. “I had my wife and daughter there, Cash had his girlfriend. It was such a great time. After our match was over, I shower up, we had a couple of drinks with the guys real quick, grab my girls, and head back to the hotel. I was laying in bed and I got a text from one of the wrestlers that said, ‘is this shit true?’ I had no idea what he was talking about.

Right after that, I got a call from my buddy CM Punk and he told me what happened. I said, ‘You’re lying to me dude. There is no way that happened.’ He was covered in blood from the match. He Face-Timed me, it was that night. He said, ‘I want to let you know, you’re going to hear some things. I want you to hear it from me. This is what happened.’ I said, ‘Dude, are you okay? Do you need anything? I’ll come right now to help you out, get you cleaned.’ ‘No, no, everything is fine, it’s died down, we’re good.’ That’s when I first heard about it.”

“Nobody Knows the Full Story”

Harwood referenced the fact that all sorts of wrestling news sites picked up the story; it was one of the biggest from 2022. But, he said, nobody has the full story. Nobody even knows the full story.

“Obviously, I wasn’t there,” he admitted. “Who I perceive to be God is the only person who really knows the truth. Everyone is going to have their own version in their head. We’ve all done it before, we’ve made what we perceive to be the truth. What I’ve heard that is reported, there are elements of truth in it, but then there are also some things that raise a red flag to me. It seems like we’re only getting a portion of the story or what this journalist wants to put out, whether he has a bias or grudge against one of the parties, that’s just how I felt. I also knew that I didn’t know the whole story.

I also felt that the stories that I heard from a few people, I don’t feel like they would blatantly lie to me. I do think there are bits of truth, but I also believe that some fans have read too much into it and I think they should let what happened, happen, and it die down. When it’s all said and done, I can’t tell you that I know 100% of the truth and I can’t tell you that the journalist reporting is 100% of the truth. I know what I perceive to be the truth and from the things I’ve read and heard, there is partial truth and partial things that are a bit exaggerated.”

Dax Wants Punk Back in AEW

People may never know the full story of what happened that night in Chicago. But, Harwood is of the belief that there are still bridges to be mended, and money to be made. He wants to see CM Punk back in AEW.

“I can tell you what I hope, because I don’t know,” he said. “Everyone knows about the legalities of the situation and no one is really expressing what is going to happen, what has happened, and what won’t happen. I can tell you, all I can be truthful about, I can only tell you what I know and what I perceive to know, I hope that he comes back. I feel that AEW should have the Young Bucks in their locker room. AEW should have Kenny Omega in the locker room. I know that I feel AEW should have CM Punk in the locker room. With those four entities, it makes our talent roster so much deeper and better. It’s four guys who want to be the best. Regardless of what any of us think personally, I know that we all want to be the best and I know we all want the best for professional wrestling. It’s given us a life that we could never have otherwise.”

The stories that could be told if Punk were to return to AEW could light the business on fire, once again. They could blur the lines between reality and fiction. They could fill those elements of AEW that some people feel the company is missing. It would be a story worth telling. It would be the biggest story of 2023 (probably). It would be a happy ending to this otherwise sad, weird story. That’s what Harwood wants. And it’s what many AEW fans want as well.

You can check out Harwood’s new podcast, ‘FTR with Dax‘ when it premieres on Thursday, December 29.

• CM Punk is “No Longer in the Company” Claims AEW Star

Special thanks to Jeremy Lambert with Fightful for the transcribed quotes

In May, Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out of an episode of WWE Raw over a creative dispute about how they were being booked as WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.

They put their titles on John Laurinaitis’ desk and left the arena before the company stripped them of the titles and suspended them. The commentary teams for both Raw and SmackDown publicly chastised them for weeks. 

Once  Laurinaitis and Vince McMahon were gone from the company, some fans believed it would only be a matter of time before the two returned. For Naomi, fans are still waiting for that day to happen while Banks negotiated her WWE release months ago and is slated to start working for NJPW next month. 

Banks reportedly signed a highly-lucrative contract with New Japan’s parent company Bushiroad. Although not confirmed, it’s believed Banks will feud with Kairi (Sane) over the IWGP Women’s Championship. 

Dax Harwood, who is good friends with Banks, offered some insight in a new interview with AdFreeShows while promoting his new podcast “FTR With Dax Harwood.” He noted that she worked hard for the company and became a big star, but still feels slighted.

Insight

“I think that, just like me, I feel that sometimes she gets a bad rep because of how passionate she is and how much she wants,” Harwood explained. “You know, she wants it all, but she wants to work for it. That’s the same with us. Like, I want everything this business, but I want to work for it and I want you to know that I’m going to work hard for you, and that’s her, man. She knows what she deserves, and she knows what she’s earned, and she works her ass off to get it, and if she doesn’t get it, she feels slighted and she has a reason to feel that way. Huge star, huge heart, beautiful human being, the greatest woman wrestler of all time. I think she’s just incredible.”

FTR was in action on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, where they lost to Austin & Colten Gunn.

H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription

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.

FTR finally got their shot at the AEW Tag Team Championships tonight in the main event of AEW Dynamite.

Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler gave it everything they had but it was not meant to be. The Acclaimed retained after it appeared that Cash had the match in control.

Wheeler delivered a Powerbomb and was about to go for a cover but Max Caster countered into an inside cradle for the pinfall victory.

After the match, The Acclaimed and FTR showed each other respect and “scissored” in the ring. Gunn Club showed up on the jumbotron and most assumed they were going to challenge FTR to a match for the ROH Tag Team Championships.

Gunn Club did issue a challenge but on behalf of The Briscoes. FTR will have to shake off their loss to The Acclaimed tonight quickly as they will be defending the ROH Tag Team Championships against The Briscoes this Saturday at Final Battle in a Dog Collar match.

• ROH Final Battle 2022 Preview

Dax Harwood took to Twitter and summed up his thoughts after FTR lost their opportunity to capture the AEW Tag Team Championships for the second time.

Cash Wheeler took full blame for the loss to The Acclaimed.

6-Man Tag Team Match added to ROH Final Battle 2022

The ROH Tag Title Dog Collar match wasn’t the only title match added to the Final Battle card during this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.

Dalton Castle & The Boys are set to defend the ROH 6-Man Tag Team Championships against Gates of Agony and Brian Cage. During tonight’s Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale, The Machine Brian Cage eliminated Dalton Castle by hurling him over the top rope and onto The Boys below. Cage was eliminated by Jungle Boy moments later.

Updated card for ROH Final Battle 2022:

• ROH Pure Championship: Daniel Garcia (c) vs. Wheeler Yuta
• ROH Women’s Championship: Mercedes Martinez (c) vs. Athena
• ROH TV Championship: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Juice Robinson
• ROH 6-Man Tag Team Championship: Dalton Castle & The Boys (c) vs. Gates of Agony & Brian Cage
• ROH Tag Team Championship: FTR (c) vs. The Briscos in a Dog Collar Match
• Swerve in Our Glory vs. Shane Taylor & JD Griffey
• ROH Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli

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.

The number of AEW stars dealing with injuries continues to increase because it has been revealed that Dax Harwood is dealing with a torn labrum injury.

One of the ROH, AAA, and IWGP Tag Team Champions previously indicated that he had suffered a shoulder injury following his bout at the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view in June. On this past Saturday, at Death Before Dishonor, FTR successfully retained the ROH World Tag Team Titles against The Briscoes in a 2 out of 3 falls match.

Injury Update

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported, “Harwood is the latest AEW wrestler working with a torn labrum.”

Meltzer added that following the Death Before Dishonor match, Harwood also had “a swollen eye, a stiff neck, and his shoulder was worse.”

Other AEW Injuries

Another AEW star, Adam Cole, has been dealing with a torn labrum injury for a few months. He pushed through the pain and kept working until he suffered a concussion at Forbidden Door.

Even though several stars are still sidelined with injuries, some wrestlers have returned, including Bryan Danielson.

• Wrestling Injuries Tracker: Updated List of Everyone Out of Action

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.

CM Punk has revealed who he believes is the “Wrestler Of The Year” thus far into 2022.

On this week’s episode of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Dynamite, the episode opened up with a Owen Hart Foundation Tournament quarterfinals match between Adam Cole and Dax Harwood. It was a great bout between the pair, but Cole ended up winning when it was all said and done.

Throughout the match, Cole targeted the injured ribs of Harwood. A sharpshooter was too much pain for Harwood to take on those ribs, forcing him to tap out. Recently, Harwood took to Twitter to thank fans for their support despite the loss.

“I’m just a 5’10 North Carolinian with a less than ideal body. Y’all shouldn’t like me, but I’m damn sure happy y’all do. I went to failure tonight; but I didn’t fail.”

Punk responded to Harwood’s Tweet with tremendous praise, naming him as his own “Wrestler Of The Year” thus far.

Harwood was obviously flattered by the compliment, responding with the following.

Punk actually defeated Harwood in a match on Dynamite back on March 23. He was also on commentary for the Harwood vs. Cash Wheeler match last month.

As for Punk inside the ring, he has a pretty big match coming up himself. He’ll challenge Hangman Page for the AEW World Championship at AEW Double Or Nothing live on pay-per-view (PPV).

CM Punk has been extremely successful in his AEW run thus far, and can cap it off with a big World Title win.

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.

Booker T has called out AEW’s Dax Harwood, saying that he will slap him across the face just like Will Smith did to Chris Rock during the Oscars. FTR of the AEW had called out Harlem Heat before their release from the WWE. Booker T and Dax Harwood are at it again, trash-talking each other.

Harwood sent out a message and called out Booker T for ignoring FTR’s challenge when they were known as The Revival in WWE. This came about when Booker mentioned the idea of a match between the two teams during WrestleMania weekend in Dallas.

Harwood had sent a message saying that Booker needs to call daddy Vince McMahon and set up a match if he wants to face the FTR, as they don’t answer to anyone but Booker might need permission to do things. This is Harwood to previous remarks from Booker which said that FTR should get permission from Tony Khan to set the match up. “I don’t have to get permission from anybody, I run my life! Nobody else tells me what to do, I run my life! […] You’re the corporate man, okay? I’m the one who rocks the boat, you stand in a straight line. If you want FTR, if you want me and Cash [Wheeler], if you want the absolute best tag team of all time walking this earth today, you and your brother, Just get on the phone. Call daddy Vince. Until then, stay off my mentions,” Harwood said in the video.

ALSO READ: Booker T Reacts To Sharmell’s Hall Of Fame Induction

Booker T felt the need to set the record straight and on the latest episode of his Hall Of Fame podcast, he responded to the message sent with some choice words.

“Dax Harwood, right? He called me, and actually said, ‘hey, this, that, whatnot and the other. They are willing to do this, they don’t have to answer to anybody. If anything I have got to answer to my daddy.’ Let’s just get that straight real quick,” he said. “I don’t have to answer to anyone. Of course, I work for a company, and they treat me very well. But when it comes time to having to deal with someone on a personal level, like Will Smith, I will slap the taste clean out of your mouth,” Booker T said (via WrestlingInc).

As far as the Harlem Heat reunion goes, Booker said that it all depends on his brother. However, if that doesn’t pan out, Booker gave Harwood the option of facing him in the ring one-on-one.

“My thing is this, I can’t make my brother do anything, I can’t make Harlem Heat reform like old school back in the day. But I just want to put this out there, and Dax Harwood I want you to know personally. I have nothing personally against you. But, as far as stepping inside the squared circle and schooling you, I would love to do that, Booker said. “So my thing is this, if my brother can not step up and be partners, may I have a partner of my choosing, and we still get this done? Or, Dax, you and I handle this like men, one on one. Let me know, hit me in the DMs.”

Dax Harwood of FTR has reflected on the time Shawn Michaels went from a mentor to a bully.

At WWE Raw 25 back in 2018, Harwood teamed with Cash Wheeler and they were on the receiving end of a beating inside the ring at the hands of DX and Scott Hall. The segment was done for a nostalgic moment and did no favors for FTR, who were called “The Revival” at the time.

Dax Harwood Blindsided

During an appearance on The Sessions with Renee Paquette, Harwood recalled having a conversation with “HBK” about dealing with a bicep injury and depression. At first, Michaels sounded relatable.

“I talked to Shawn and that was the first time we talked since the PC days and I told him, I was like, ‘Man, this happened, tore my bicep, I went through a really dark period. I thought I was gonna quit but thankfully, just like I’ve told you, I have the greatest wife in the world and she has supported me and she’s brought me out of this funk. She brought me out of a dark place and I’m here now and I’m super happy.’

“He said, ‘I was the same way. I was in this very dark spot that my wife, she’s beautiful, she pulled me out of this dark spot too.’ I was like, ‘Ah, that’s so awesome.’ He said, ‘Look, you and your partner are way too talented to be doing what you’re doing tonight. You’re way too talented to stay at this point. Just keep your nose to the ground and keep grinding and you’re gonna get over it.'”

Dax Harwood was appreciative of Michaels’ advice but what happened next changed everything.

“I was like, ‘Oh man, Shawn thank you so much.’ So, we had this bonding moment and then we got in front of his friends. X-Pac and Billy and Road Dogg and Scott, and as soon as we got in front of his friends, he started making fun of me and making fun of my situation and what happened with my bicep.

“I was like, ‘Man, I just poured my heart out to you, and as soon as we get in front of your friends, cause we’re going over what — they’re gonna beat the sh*t out of us, you decide to take that stuff and make fun of it.’

“I’ve never ever forgotten it and as soon as we were done with the business at Raw one person said, ‘Thank you’ to us and that was Sean Waltman. Everyone else was so cold to us and treated us like we were just the sh*t on the bottom of their shoes except for Sean Waltman.”

Shawn Michaels has long had the reputation of being a trouble maker during the WWE’s New Generation Era. There have been several reports over the years claiming that Michaels tried to play the political game even after his first retirement during the Attitude Era in order for Triple H to maintain a top spot in the company.

While “HBK” became a born-again Christian in 2002, stories have surfaced claiming that he still had a knack for rubbing people the wrong way.

Reports claimed that back in 2007 when WWE was in Iraq for Tribute to the Troops, Randy Orton stood up for Umaga as Shawn Michaels was allegedly berating him for wearing attire that had the same color as HHH’s gear.

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

Dax Harwood believes that FTR has helped to usher in a rejuvenated era of tag-team wrestling, one that incorporates the team aspect more than just two singles stars being paired together. Evidently, there is a former coach at the WWE PC who disagreed with them on this philosophy. Dax Harwood mentioned in a recent interview with Elite POV that there is a former coach from the Performance Center that they laugh at now when they look back upon. Harwood would stop short of mentioning who that coach was, however.

“There’s a former coach at the PC, that I hope he’s looking at us and knowing that we are laughing at him in the face. Well, I won’t put Cash in that position,” Harwood said. “Knowing that I am laughing at him in the face.”

Earlier in the discussion, Harwood had mentioned that around 2014, the art of the tag-team wrestling had been lost. He said that tag-team matches had become about two singles stars tagging in and out and doing their moves. Him and Cash wanted their tag-team to be different.

“I’ll say this to pat ourselves on the back. Before us, you didn’t see tag matches, of the modern era at least, the heels grab a hold and the babyfaces working for the tag. You didn’t see that,” Harwood said. “You didn’t see hope spots that were slightly elaborate to give that baby a little bit of hope and have the heel stop them there. What you saw was a hold, the fans would start to come up. The two guys would start to come up, bring the elbows to the stomach. They’d hit the ropes and the heel would do something and the heel would hit some kind of cool move.”

The full interview can be viewed in the player below:

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the above transcriptions.

Dax Harwood of FTR has invited ROH and GCW Tag Team Champions the Briscoes to Wednesday’s Dynamite. After FTR attacked Jay and Mark Briscoe at ROH’s Final Battle recently, Harwood took to Twitter to say that the Briscoes should come to next week’s AEW Dynamite in the Greensboro Coliseum.

“Hell no. We came in their house, beat the shit out of them, and made them more relevant in 4 minutes than they’ve been in the last 4 years. They should come the Greensboro and give us their payday from Final Battle. I’m sure I could almost pay my light bill with that money,” Harwood Tweeted.

FTR have a scheduled match for the show. They are set to team with their Pinnacle stablemate, Maxwell Jacob Friedman. They’ll face Sting, Darby Allin, and CM Punk in trios action.

FTR recently appeared on Barstool Rasslin‘ with Brandon F. Walker. During the discussion, they spoke in regards to some of their plans for 2022 and mentioned the Briscoes specifically.

“I think we are going to be the first-ever two-time AEW Tag Team Champions. In 2022, we are going to get the titles back. We are going to have the title run that we should’ve had the first time,” said Wheeler. He continued, “…We are never going to lose those again. Rematch with the Young Bucks. Beat the sh*t out of The Briscoes. Hold titles everywhere.” 

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.

A lot of people believe that Chad Gable deserves more opportunities than he has been given in WWE and now a new tweet from an AEW star has started speculation about his status with the company.

Alpha Academy member Otis recently took on his Twitter to send birthday wishes to his trainer and the former American Alpha member also responded to the tweet saying Otis was his #1 guy.

What’s interesting here is that AEW star Dax Harwood also took note of this exchange and posting a reply of his own, he claimed that Gable is not allowed to respond to him for ‘2 more months’:

This tweet from the former WWE tag champion has started speculations about the status and future of Alpha Academy leader with many wondering if we could see him leaving the company soon.

• Dax Harwood: I Want Chad Gable In All Elite Wrestling

Chad Gable signed with WWE in 2013. While he had a pretty successful run in NXT as part of the American Alpha tag team with Jason Jordan, his career has dwindled after their move to the main roster and the break up of the duo.

His run as Shorty G had led to criticism about WWE management’s handling of the star and even though he quit the gimmick late last year, Gable hasn’t done much since then either.

Christian returned to the ring for the first time in almost 7 years at the Royal Rumble (not counting his “match” with Randy Orton last June). Edge and Christian embraced in the ring as fans grew excited about the possibility of them teaming up once again. Dax Harwood was recently asked online about a fantasy FTR vs Edge & Christian match. Perhaps surprisingly, Harwood doesn’t sound like he was much of a fan of the team. He noted that he considers them “pretty overrated.”

Harwood also responded to a fan who was critical of his opinions on Edge and Christian.

Harwood’s partner, Cash Wheeler, recently praised Christian heavily online, however.

Edge recently commented on him and Christian both being back in a WWE ring in 2021. He spoke to the Sporting News about Christian’s Royal Rumble return.

“I was one of the few that was privy to the fact that he got cleared a few months ago. We didn’t know he was going to be in the Rumble until Friday, though,” Edge said. “I was in the midst of driving down to his house from North Carolina to stay for the weekend. And then we found out and we’re like “OK, well, we’ll drive over to the rumble together then.”

Many wrestlers deal with body image issues. Dax Harwood of FTR recently opened up about problems he’s had with his weight. The former AEW World Tag Team Champion reveals that he has battled the eating disorder bulimia.

Harwood took to Instagram to post side-by-side photos of himself along with comments about his condition:

“Getting real for a second, I’ve always struggled with my weight,” Harwood wrote. “At one time, I was actually bulimic. My highest weight was 282lbs, which on a 5’10” frame is not very “attractive”; nor healthy. I’ve tried every diet, but they rarely worked because I’m so afraid of food. I was scared of going backwards.” 

Harwood then spoke about how “Body Transformation Specialist” Ferlan Bailey helped him achieve his fitness goals.

“With the help of my friend @ferlanbaileyifbbpro, he’s put me on a healthier path and continues to guide me along even when I question him,” Harwood continued.  “More than a coach, he’s a great human being. If you have dietary or workout needs, this is the guy for you! Thank you Ferlan, for all your help. Now all you Internet fans can go back to talking about my dad bod and loose skin!”

Harwood and tag-team partner Cash Wheeler are currently in a program with Jungle Boy and the Jurassic Express in AEW. The team was not permitted to wrestle in the battle royal to determine new #1 contenders to the tag belts last week due to their post-match assault on Jungle Boy two weeks ago.

You can see Dax Harwood’s photos and inspirational message here:

Jungle Boy made Dax Harwood submit in a singles match on Dynamite this week. It was Jungle Boy’s first singles victory on AEW’s flagship show and Harwood’s first singles loss, as well.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it was Harwood who pitched the match to Tony Khan with the idea being it would help turn Jungle Boy into a top babyface for the company.

“Harwood was the guy who put together the angle and presented it to Tony Khan with the goal of the angle to make Jungle Boy come out of it as a superstar babyface,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

Harwood is certainly on to something. Both men looked great in the match, but Jungle Boy is the young prospect with unlimited upside. He’s been looking better during each outing. Working with ring savvy veterans like Dax Harwood will only help his progress.

Jungle Boy, Dax Harwood & Jim Ross React

Jungle Boy took to Twitter following the match to talk about its importance to his career. He tweeted:

“That was the biggest win of my career, and a match I will never forget. Dax Harwood, you are a son of a bitch, but thank you for bringing that out of me.”

Dax Harwood of FTR also commented on the match on Twitter:

“I’m a tag team wrestler. I’m upset about losing my first singles match in years, but my ultimate goal is to be AEW World TAG TEAM Champions. Maybe, in time, I’ll take that TNT belt & be a double champ, just like a certain Enforcer. Oh yeah, I have the best kicks in the business.”

Finally AEW broadcaster Jim Ross went out of his way to call Jungle Boy vs. Dax Harwood a “Beautiful pro wrestling match.” That’s high praise from JR, who is known to be critical from time to time.

AEW posted this video from the bout and awarded it the #1 Moment of the Week:

AEW star Dax Harwood recently appeared on a special AdFreeShows watchalong as part of the ARN podcast. Harwood joined AEW on-screen coach and former WWE agent Arn Anderson to discuss The Revival vs American Alpha from NXT Takeover Dallas in 2016.

The match is heralded as one of the greatest tag team bouts in WWE history; with the team now known as FTR losing the belts to Chad Gable and Jason Jordan.

During the special ‘Top Guy’ AdFreeShows watchalong, Dax Harwood stated how all four men became best friends during their run of NXT house shows working the tag team match. Harwood also stated that Jason Jordan is probably one of the hardest working performers he has ever been in the ring with. Dax clarified also that Jordan is right up there in talent with the aforementioned Chad Gable.

“That’s what separates you. That’s what separates the wrestlers from guys who are playing wrestler” Dax Harwood stated during the stream; discussing the nuance and intricacy of the match. “Theres guys who can go in there and do some athletic, crazy stuff. And I wish I could, but if you believe in your heart that you’re the best? If you believe that you’re the biggest badass in the world? Nobody can beat you, you’re gonna look legit.”

Dax Harwood on Chad Gable

Dax Harwood then finished by saying that All Elite should look at getting Chad Gable brought into the company. “I think we should get Gable into AEW, but that’s just my thought.”

Whilst Chad Gable’s WWE contract status is not clear? The phrasing from Harwood seemed to indicate that this could be a possibility, although there’s no way to truly determine if that’s the case without speaking to Gable. The former NXT Tag Team Champion Chad Gable has been used on SmackDown more over the past few weeks; running his Alpha Academy with Otis and also helping Daniel Bryan.

There’s clearly a huge upside to be had with Chad Gable as a legitimate singles star. Back in his NXT days there was a lot of comparisons made to another former amateur wrestler with charisma, Kurt Angle.

A fan on Twitter stated that they agree with Dax Harwood’s opinion about Chad Gable. Harwood said that most people don’t even know how good Gable really is.

Do you agree with Dax Harwood? Do you think that Chad Gable should head to AEW? Let us know in the comments

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.”