During the triple threat tag-team match at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, Dax Harwood left for several minutes for reasons that were unclear at the time, but he was apparently dealing with a separated shoulder. In a moment that caused some confusion among fans watching the pay-per-view, a camera quickly cut to Hardwood being helped to the back, leaving tag-team partner Cash Wheeler alone to deal with Roppongi Vice and United Empire.
The sight of Harwood receiving aid after an elbow drop sucked the air out of the United Center in Chicago. Forbidden Door had already been wracked by so injuries that fans online were joking about the card being cursed, with the likes of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Kenny Omega all unable to compete in the event. Hardwood took to Twitter recently to reveal the nature of his injury and how he handled it backstage.
Via his @DaxFTR handle on Twitter, he wrote the following: "Separated shoulder? Bite a towel and rub some tequila on it. It’ll be fine." The tweet was accompanied by three photos of Dax and Cash celebrating their win over Roppongi Vice and United Empire, thus capturing the IWGP tag team titles.
The win at Forbidden Door makes FTR the first tag team to hold the AEW, NXT, Raw, SmackDown, AAA, ROH, and IWGP Tag Team Championships as a unit. That's truly rarified air for one of the hottest babyface acts in the business at this time. It's also a remarkable accomplishment given how Dax and Cash were treated during their time in WWE. Their run in NXT as The Revival was splendid, and their feuds with American Alpha and DIY, in particular, were outstanding. They ended up being treated as a comedy pairing following their call up to the main roster, however, which eventually lead to them leaving the company in April of 2020.
Just over two years later, and FTR is arguably the best tag team in professional wrestling. The Young Bucks might have something to say about that, since they are currently AEW Tag Team Champions, and FTR winning the IWGP belts seems to indicate that a program between those two teams is around the bend. Hopefully, Harwood's shoulder injury won't keep him out of action for an extended period of time. That would be devastating for AEW and for all of the positive momentum that FTR has built up over the last several months. Perhaps fans will hear from Dax and Cash on the June 28 edition of Wednesday Night Dynamite. With the Forbidden Door closing, for now, it's time for the promotion to set up some fresh feuds.
Source: @DaxFTR