Dax Harwood talks the FTR Bald nickname and the appreciation he receives from fans.
FTR Bald is a nickname that has bestowed upon Dax Harwood by the internet. To compliment the name, the nickname FTR Hair has also been given to Harwood's tag team partner, Cash Wheeler. Harwood even took advantage of the nickname and recently released a FTR Bald shirt to the public.
In a new interview with Fightful, Harwood plugged the shirt and said that he was originally against the nickname before thinking about it more.
"Well, there’s a new t-shirt out on BoxOfGimmicks.com. It’s ‘FTR Bald is My Homeboy.’ At first I was like, ‘Danhausen, this motherfucker’s making me into a joke.’ Then I started thinking about it
and I was like, ‘That’s pretty cool. That’s pretty fun.’ I’ve seen it for the positives and the negatives. I’ve seen people talk about how much they hate FTR Bald and FTR Hair’s their favorite. Which is fine, because that seems like everybody."
Harwood also went on to discuss the appreciation that FTR has received from fans in recent months, noting that it is something that makes him very proud.
"That’s cool. It’s very cool, obviously. That’s the boring answer, to say it’s cool. But above that, man, it’s to see how much they care about me period. Not how much they like my matches. That’s cool, too. I love that and I enjoy that. But, for example, we were at the Icons of Wrestling signing in Philly on Saturday, and we were supposed to go from 11:00 until 2:00 and I’m not saying this egotistically, I’m saying this as someone whose mind is blown. It was a surreal moment. I couldn’t believe it. Our line was out the building, out the door, wrapped around the building, dude. It was insane. Then the amount of people that came up to me and hugged me—men and women and children. There were a ton of children. The little kids, especially the little girls, [fight] like an eight year old girl did something to them. Some of the men, they come up to me and they cry, man, and they hug me. They say, ‘Your speaking out about anxiety has helped me.’ Then the women, as well, coming up and hugging, saying how much we’ve touched their lives, how much they care about us, how much they love us. Then Revolution, coming back and hearing that ovation. Those are the things, dude, that I care about. I love winning these awards and it makes me very proud. I know I’ve done something right for the thing I love, professional wrestling."
Harwood also recalled never understanding why John Cena wouldn't turn heel before circling back and noting that he completely understands why now.
"But these fans caring about me as a character and a human being, that trumps it all. I never could understand why John Cena wouldn’t turn heel, right? Never could understand it until this moment. Look, I’m not comparing myself to John Cena. I never would, dude. But what I’m saying is, I get it now. I understand. The people that he’s touched and love him, he didn’t want to do it and I feel the same way. I just hope they keep that feeling for me until the day I retire because I have that tenfold for them."
Elsewhere in the interview, Dax Harwood discussed his current relationship with CM Punk. Fans can learn more by clicking here.
Fans can check out weekly episodes of FTR With Dax Harwood on any podcast platform of your choosing.
Dax Harwood will be holding a live FTR podcast show on Thursday, March 30 in Los Angeles, California. Cash Wheeler, Powerhouse Hobbs, & Shawn Spears are all set to attend the event. Fans can find tickets for the event by clicking here.
