FTR’ star Dax Harwood Reveals Why He and Cash Wheeler Re-Signed with AEW, Criticizes Vince McMahon’s Approach
In a recent episode of the FTR podcast, Dax Harwood, one-half of the new AEW (All Elite Wrestling) Tag Team Champions, opened up about why he and his partner Cash Wheeler made the decision to re-sign with AEW instead of exploring options with WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). Harwood didn’t hold back in his criticism of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon’s approach and shared insights into his thought process and reasons for sticking with AEW.
One of the main factors for Harwood was his desire to avoid a bidding war between WWE and AEW. He stated, “Never did I want to try to play one side against the other. It was all literally me taking everything for the last nineteen years of my career, compiling it up in my brain, and wondering what the best course of action for me is.” Harwood emphasized that he wanted to make a decision that would allow him to take care of his family and cement his legacy in the wrestling industry.
Harwood also expressed his gratitude towards AEW and its founder Tony Khan for providing him and Wheeler with a schedule and platform that he felt was better for them. He acknowledged that everything they had earned and achieved in the last three years was because of AEW and the opportunities they were given there. Harwood contrasted this with his experience in WWE, where he felt that their potential was limited and their legacy would be confined to NXT (WWE’s developmental brand), despite winning tag team championships on the main roster.
“Everything that we’ve earned, everything that we’ve got for these last three years, is because of AEW. Because of what we’ve done in AEW. Before AEW, we were in the WWE. There were glimmers of hope for the main roster, like becoming two-time RAW tag team champions, Smackdown tag team champions, FTRKO… but our legacy was gonna be saddled on NXT. The Alphas feud, the Enzo & Cass feud, and obviously the DIY feud. And that’s what our legacy was. We weren’t building on our legacy. I feel like our legacy had flatlined in WWE. In AEW, even though there were times, and there are gonna be times, were I feel like momentum has been missed, or we don’t necessarily agree with the direction or the idea of FTR, what they’re doing… still, man. The legacy that we have created, cemented, built on in the last three years is because of what Tony Khan can offer us.”
Furthermore, Harwood highlighted the difference in how Khan and McMahon view wrestlers. He stated that Khan cares about him, his family, and the individuals he employs, while McMahon sees wrestlers as replaceable numbers. Harwood’s comments shed light on the contrasting work environments and cultures between AEW and WWE, with AEW being portrayed as a place where wrestlers are valued as individuals.
“He cares about me, he cares about my family, he cares about the individuals that he pays on a bi-weekly basis. He cares about them as people. I felt that — this is gonna get a headline — working for Vince, I was just a number. And talked his minions underneath into thinking that everyone is just replaceable.”
Addressing some misconceptions, Harwood clarified that their decision to re-sign with AEW was made well before McMahon’s return to a more prominent role in WWE and that they did not hold the company hostage for the tag team titles. He dismissed the notion that they threatened to go to WWE unless they were given the belts, calling it short-sighted and explaining that they knew what was going to happen long before McMahon’s return to power.
Harwood’s candid remarks on the FTR podcast have given wrestling fans insights into his thought process and the reasons behind his decision to re-sign with AEW. His criticism of McMahon’s approach and praise for AEW’s schedule, platform, and treatment of wrestlers have generated buzz in the wrestling community and sparked discussions about the differences between the two wrestling promotions. As AEW continues to gain momentum as a major competitor to WWE, decisions like Harwood and Wheeler’s to stay with AEW could have implications for the wrestling landscape moving forward.
