FTR? More like For The Harts.
The current Ring Of Honor Tag Team Champions and AAA Tag Team Champions FTR are avid fans of the entire Hart family. Whether it be paying tribute to Owen or Bret in their wrestling matches or supporting the family with various wrestling gear, both Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler always make sure to show respect to one of wrestling's most beloved family.
In a new interview with Sports Illustrated, FTR went in depth about their recent appearance at a Big Time Wrestling event. At the event, they were managed by The Hitman himself in a match against Brian Pillman Jr and Brock Anderson, which Harwood called the greatest night of his career.
"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."
Harwood then recalled that the planned finish of the match originally involved Bret.
“We asked Bret if we could finish the match with a triple sharpshooter. 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."
Wheeler chimed in and gave his thoughts about the match, saying that Bret created the blueprint for wrestlers like himself and Harwood.
"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.”
Harwood also reminisced on a moment where Vince McMahon called him a 'professional wrestler', citing that the moment with Hart made him feel proud of that moniker.
"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.’”
Dax Harwood is set to wrestle Will Ospreay on tonight's edition of AEW Dynamite. To see the rest of the card for tonight's show, click here.
