Dax Harwood says FTR takes its appearances on the independent wrestling scene seriously, particularly because fans are choosing to spend their own money to see the former WWE and AEW World Tag Team Champions perform.
During an appearance on Cromulent Wrestling, Harwood discussed the independent dates he and Cash Wheeler have worked over the past several years and explained why FTR approaches those bookings with the same commitment they would bring to a major televised event.
Harwood said his own experiences with financial struggles have made him particularly conscious of the investment fans make when purchasing tickets.
“I’ve been there when money has been tight, you have to wisely spend your money. And when I see fans wisely spending their money to watch FTR, that’s something I take very seriously.
Even when we’ve done a few of these, indie shows—these independent wrestling shows—over the last, I don’t know, maybe four years that we’ve done them, I see a lot of guys, even even looking now, I see a lot of guys who have had a name on TV wrestling, whether it was AEW or WWE. I see them come in and they take the easy way out, and they just do as little as possible.
I would beg you to go and look at any of the independent wrestling matches Cash and I’ve had over these last four years, and I can guarantee you, you won’t find one where we took a night off.”
Harwood’s comments extended beyond the responsibility wrestlers have to the audience. He also emphasized the financial and logistical commitment made by independent promoters when bringing in established names with national television exposure.
In Harwood’s view, a wrestler failing to deliver after being advertised as a featured attraction can have consequences for the entire promotion rather than simply affecting that individual’s reputation.
“The promoter has to pay a lot of money and put a lot of time into it. So, if they book these guys who have this name, the fans expect something from them, and that name doesn’t deliver, that does nothing but hurt the promoter and hurt the promotion and the wrestlers that are in it. They don’t see far past their envelope at the end of the night. Thankfully, what I consider God above, Cash and I don’t have to worry about our envelope at the end of the night because we’ve done well for ourselves.”
Since leaving WWE in 2020, Harwood and Wheeler have continued to build FTR’s reputation both on major television and outside it, taking select independent bookings alongside their work on the larger wrestling stage.
For Harwood, those appearances carry an obligation to the fans, promoters and other wrestlers on the card. Regardless of the size of the venue or promotion, his position is that anyone paying specifically to see FTR should receive the level of performance they expect from the team.
