FTR has been strangely absent from AEW's tag-team title picture for most of 2022, and it sounds like the Top Guys are considering their options for when their contracts expire. Dax Harwood is slated to wrestle Bryan Danielson in a first-time matchup on the November 30 episode of Wednesday Night Dynamite, and that's a bout that has pro wrestling fans excited despite the lack of a build. FTR has yet to wrestle as a tandem on Dynamite since October 26, and they've generally become associated with the ROH brand over time due to them holding those tag titles.
Fightful Select recently caught up with Harwood before his dream match against Danielson and gave a candid update about FTR's future in AEW. Fightful reports: "Dax Harwood claimed to Fightful that he's under the belief his current AEW contract ends at the end of April... he says he's evaluating options and says that he and Cash have had a lot of conversations about their future. One particular idea they've mentioned is that they could take a year off of wrestling for major companies and just do things that are fun to them."
Can AEW Afford To Lose FTR?
FTR hasn't been heavily featured on AEW television since earlier this summer, and they've been relegated to defending ROH's tag titles instead. One couldn't even call ROH a B-show because it doesn't actively air anywhere under that banner outside pay-per-views. It's not a show at all. All Elite Wrestling doesn't have another branded pay-per-view on tap until March 5, when Revolution will take place. By that point, FTR could be hitting the indie scene, doing their own thing. It's a victory lap that Dax and Cash have certainly earned, but it's tough to come to terms with AEW fumbling this once mega-over tag team.
Leading up to and following ROH's last pay-per-view, Death Before Dishonor, FTR was one of the most over acts in the company. They'd gotten there genuinely, transitioning from heels to faces for reasons that were easy to identify with and made sense. Harwood was cutting heartfelt promos about why he couldn't quit fighting because his daughter battled cancer, and it seemed like AEW had two legit stars on its hands. However, that momentum was allowed to fizzle out, and FTR hasn't had a lengthy or meaningful program for more than six months at this juncture.
There's no indication that Hardwood and Wheeler are thinking about leaving AEW due to booking issues, but it's not like Tony Khan has given them a reason to stay either. Doing a year-long tour of the indies would be fun for FTR, but it'd strip All Elite Wrestling of one of the most professional and polished acts on the roster. The tag-team division will belong to The Young Bucks until they're no longer wrestling, but they need ready-made feuds following their seven-match series against Death Triangle. If putting that match on seven times isn't indicative of how shallow AEW's tag division is, then nothing is. The Acclaimed is still incredible, but with Swerve In Our Glory seemingly on the outs, there might not be anyone left to feud with if FTR decides to take a year-long sabbatical.
Source: Fightful Select