It wasn’t on national TV, but Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler still got to share the ring with their hero: Bret Hart.
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Bret Hart manages FTR at Big Time Wrestling show
FTR returned to their roots on Friday, headlining an indie show at a town hall an hour west of Boston.
Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler—bona fide AEW stars who double as the reigning AAA and Ring of Honor tag champs—wrestled the main event against Brian Pillman Jr. and Brock Anderson, who were managed by the legendary Arn Anderson. But FTR had an ace up their sleeve, too.
The Big Time Wrestling show captured the magic of the craft, pairing a hungry collection of wrestlers with a packed house. The night also included an appearance from industry icon Bret Hart, who brought his blend of excellence back to the grassroots of wrestling.
“At one point during the match, I got hit and rolled to the floor,” Wheeler says. “Bret was touching my shoulder, asking, ‘Cash, are you all right?’ In my head, I’m thinking, ‘Bret is ringside, asking if I’m all right.’ Laying on that dirty floor, it was a moment of realization. It was a reminder we’re lucky to do what we do.”
The chance to work beside Hart also evoked a deep sense of passion and emotion from Harwood.
“That night was a culmination of a journey that’s been ongoing for more than 30 years,” Harwood says. “I was watching the King of the Ring pay-per-view 29 years ago, where I got to see Bret Hart wrestle three matches and tell three different stories that night. That’s also the night I told my mother I was going to be a pro wrestler.
“I know who I am. I don’t have the total package—I’m not tall, I don’t have the body, I have a southern accent. Overcoming all those odds and getting to perform with my hero—not just my favorite wrestler, but my lifetime hero—it was the greatest night of my career. If you saw me smiling, it’s because I couldn’t hide that look on my face.”
An entertaining match reached its finish when Harwood and Wheeler emerged victorious via a double sharpshooter. The original proposed finish, Harwood revealed, was slightly different.
“We asked Bret if we could finish the match with a triple sharpshooter,” Harwood says. “Bret said, ‘I haven’t done a sharpshooter in 10 years.’ Then he paused, thought about it, and said, ‘But I’ll try it.’ It didn’t go the way he wanted, but he f------ tried it. That’s the type of man he is. He believes in us, and he wanted to make that moment as special as possible. He felt that we’ve given something to him, and he wanted to give back to us.
“The match was good, but nothing will top the moment. That’s what meant everything to me.”
Courtesy of Jason Schneider Photography
After the match, FTR cut promos in the ring as Hart—along with everyone in the crowd and behind the curtain—listened intently.
“I’m a believer in what wrestling can be,” Wheeler says. “I know our vision, and we haven’t wavered from it. We wanted to bring tag team wrestling back to life. Because of guys like Bret, we had the blueprint. And, because of guys like Bret, we have guaranteed contracts and less travel. We want guys like Bret to know we’re thankful. Everything he did, it still means something. That’s why we opened our hearts and bared our souls.”
When Harwood held the mic in his hand after the match, he did not hold back. In an articulate, gripping manner, he expressed his respect, admiration, and gratitude for Hart’s sacrifices to pro wrestling.
“For so long, I tried to put on this ‘tough guy’ persona,” Harwood says. “Not just in wrestling, but in life. I tried to make people think I was this miserable human being, and I wanted my wife and my daughter to think I was the toughest guy in the world. That weighed on me. I went through the hardest time of my life last year, and I realized I’m not as tough as I thought I was. But who gives a damn? I was able to come out the other side and get my life back, and I thank my wife for that. I’ve had a moment of clarity since then, and a lot of that has to do with losing Brodie Lee. I don’t want people to think or wonder how I feel about them. There was a time in my life when I questioned if I was loved, and that’s not a good feeling. Wrestlers are insecure. And wrestling is such a weird art. There is no statistic to prove who is the greatest.
“It’s my mission and my goal to let these guys know that, without them, professional wrestling wouldn’t exist the way it does. If Bret hadn’t been gone for 320 days, away from his family and killing his body, then this current road wouldn’t be paved. I wouldn’t be working the schedule I’m working. Without Bret, there is no FTR. Without him, I don’t have the life that I live.”
The possibility exists that the BTW show will eventually air on FITE. When asked if the moment would have meant even more if it happened on national television—which will not happen any time soon since Harwood and Wheeler are signed with AEW, while Hart is signed to a Legends deal in WWE—Wheeler offered a different perspective.
“It would have been cool to have that moment on TV, but I’m glad it was just that one night,” Wheeler says. “It’s going to be with us for the rest of our lives. My only regret is that we couldn’t pause time.”
Well after the crowd had dispersed and the ring crew finished breaking down, the conversation between Hart and FTR still had no end in sight.
Hart told stories from his decorated career, breaking down his epic match against the late, great “Rowdy” Roddy Piper at WrestleMania VIII. He offered advice to Harwood on how to save his ailing shoulder from further abuse. Then a backstage tequila toast, courtesy of Harwood’s bottle of Clase Azul, served as the icing on the cake on an extraordinary evening.
“That’s when Bret said he owed us so much,” Harwood says. “I stopped him and said, ‘No, none of that.’ But Bret said that the way we’ve talked about him brought more attention to his work. Now he has even more respect, and he thanked us for that. It was a conscious effort from me, Cash and [CM] Punk to put his name out there. His body of work means so much. And as great of a professional wrestler as he is, he’s even a greater human being.
“That night, in the ring, I was thinking about the moment and how much it meant to me. I thought about all the WrestleManias we’ve worked, all the titles we’ve won, all the towns we’ve traveled. I was hit with this thought. It was from a night we wrestled in WWE, and waiting in Gorilla for us after the match was Vince McMahon. He had his hands in his pockets and said to us, ‘Everyone says you’re the next great tag team. But you know what I see? The problem with you guys is you’re just professional wrestlers.’ That night in the ring, standing next to Bret, I thought to myself, ‘Damn right, I’m a professional wrestler. I’m a great professional wrestler, and look at where my life is right now.’”
Courtesy of Jason Schneider Photography
Approaching a decade as mainstays on the unrelenting public stage of pro wrestling, FTR has entered a new stretch of their career. The longtime heels are playing the role of fan favorites, a breath of fresh air for those who have long respected their abilities. At times throughout their career, it was even hard to boo us, and people can now fully embrace what they do.
“When wrestling is manufactured, you can feel it—but when it’s organic, you can feel that, too,” Wheeler says. “We could feel that moment on Friday night. It was an unreal night for us, a culmination of all the years of hard work and sacrifice. We’re having the most fun we’ve ever had in our careers, and people are enjoying it with us.
“We are proud to be part of the professional wrestling legacy. We are f------ proud to be professional wrestlers. And we’re the best there is, the best there was, and…”
With perfect timing, Wheeler tagged his partner in for the finish.
“You know the rest,” Harwood says. “And Bret taught us how.”
The (online) week in wrestling
- Roman Reigns will make an undisputed title defense Friday on SmackDown against Matt Riddle, the single biggest match of Riddle’s career.
- Jay White is the new IWGP world heavyweight champion. Be careful with the language of this very much NSFW promo, but White was firing on all cylinders.
- What do you think—did Thunder Rosa purposely make Marina Shafir look bad in their match last week?
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Hirooki Goto at Dominion on Sunday, and he will now challenge Jon Moxley for the vacant AEW title at Forbidden Door later this month.
- Keiji Mutoh announced he has five matches remaining in his illustrious career.
- Satoshi Kojima (who won the GHC heavyweight championship), Will Ospreay (IWGP U.S. title), Trevor Murdoch (NWA title) and Gunther (WWE’s intercontinental title) all won gold over the past week.
- Impact Wrestling will hold its Slammiversary pay-per-view on Sunday, headlined by Josh Alexander against Eric Young. It is on a card that also includes The Briscoes–Good Brothers, a Queen of the Mountain match, and an Ultimate X for the X Division title, making it a tall task for Alexander and Young to put on the match of the night.
Jeff Hardy suspended without pay by AEW
Following his DUI arrest on Monday morning by the Florida Highway Patrol, Jeff Hardy has been suspended without pay by All Elite Wrestling.
This isn’t the first time Hardy has been arrested. Thirteen years ago, he was arrested on charges of trafficking in controlled prescription pills, and he was also arrested for public intoxication in 2019. Later that same year, he was arrested and charged with driving while impaired.
Substance abuse issues have plagued Hardy. He violated WWE’s Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy over a decade ago. There is also the infamous TNA Victory Road pay-per-view in 2011, where an intoxicated Hardy was unable to wrestle, and was forcibly pinned by Sting less than 90 seconds into the main event.
The statement from AEW indicated that Hardy’s suspension would be revoked after successfully completing treatment for substance abuse issues and showing he can maintain his sobriety. Hardy was scheduled for a triple-threat ladder tag match this week on Dynamite, which is now taking place between Jurassic Express and The Young Bucks.
But forget the wrestling.
Addiction is poisonous and incredibly difficult to overcome, but Hardy is risking the lives of himself and others every time he drives under the influence. Five different pro wrestlers spoke off-the-record with Sports Illustrated about the situation, and each either worked with Hardy in WWE or currently in AEW. Each echoed the same sentiment: they are devastated by his choice to drive under the influence, they want him to get clean, and all are grateful that no one was injured or killed.
Hardy is still scheduled to work AAA’s Triplemanía show on Saturday in a tag with his brother Matt against Dragon Lee and Dralístico, but what type of message does it send if he works this show? Top officials in AEW confirmed to Sports Illustrated that they do not want him wrestling in the match.
Tweet of the Week
John Cena made another wish come true.
More Wrestling Coverage:
- Matt Cardona Is Already Planning His Return From a Torn Bicep
- Uncertainty Surrounds Reigns and Punk as Summer Heats Up
- AEW’s Jeff Hardy Arrested for DUI in Florida
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.