Dax Harwood reveals he personally asked Tony Khan to replace FTR in major AEW title match

FTR was originally set to compete in a major title match last year. However, Dax Harwood revealed that he asked Tony Khan to replace them in the match.

The competition for the AEW World Tag Team Championships was heating up before AEW Full Gear 2024. Hence, a contender series was announced to determine who would face the champions. The House of Black, The Outrunners, and The Acclaimed all qualified for the title match at Full Gear. However, missing from the match was AEW’s top tag team FTR. However, it appears that they had voluntarily asked not to be in this match.

During a recent interview with Wrestlezone, Dax Harwood addressed criticisms that he and Cash Wheeler only worked with The Outrunners due to their rising popularity. This was about Cash and Dax teaming with The Outrunners on the September 21 episode of Collision. Harwood denied the allegations saying that they asked Tony Khan to give their spot in the tag title match at Full Gear to The Outrunners:

“People said we latched onto The Outrunners because of their popularity. I would beg anyone to ask The Outrunners what they thought of us and how they felt we helped them. Never once—there’s a lot that happens behind the scenes, and you know what? I’ll say it—who cares? For example, at the last pay-per-view, the four-way tag team title match, FTR was supposed to be in one of those spots. I went to Tony and said, ‘Hey man, these guys have worked their asses off. They deserve that spot. Take us out and put them in.’ And he did. He agreed with me.” [H/T Ringside News]

FTR has found themselves a new tag team partner in Adam Copeland

A few weeks ago, FTR was attacked backstage by Death Riders. Since then, they vowed to return with an ally, and at AEW Worlds End, this turned out to be Adam Copeland who had just returned from injury. This also marked the beginning of Rated FTR.

Following the show, Copeland joined the media scrum along with Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood. The Rated R Superstar highlighted their plans for the future saying that they should win the Trios Championships:

“If you can think of a goal, that’s what we’re going after. They should be Tag Team Champions, I think we should win the Trios Championships, I’m going after the World Heavyweight Championship. (…) So my plan is to go after Jon Moxley in a match that we’ve never seen before between two guys who are at the top of their field and go out there and do what we do.”

This week on AEW Dynamite, this newly formed team took on the Death Riders and won indicating that they are here to stay.