Kemo
01-12-2023, 10:04 PM
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.”
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."
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.
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.”
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."
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.