Last June, on a sweltering spring evening, FTR’s Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler climbed up a rickety staircase at a town hall in Webster, Mass. Awaiting them was a locker room disguised as an attic. But for Harwood and Wheeler, it could have passed for heaven.
Filling out this miniature space were verified legends. Sitting in one corner was Arn Anderson, who was cornering his son, aspiring wrestler Brock Anderson, later that night as he teamed with Brian Pillman Jr. in the main event of Big Time Wrestling’s indie show. Their opponents were FTR, who would be backed by the iconic Bret “The Hitman” Hart.
Often in wrestling, the most compelling moments are the ones the world rarely gets to see. And that is exactly what occurred that night in Webster when, during the prematch meeting, Harwood laid out a proposed finish.
“I had this idea,” says Harwood. “People know I consider Bret to be the greatest of all time. So I said to him, ‘I was thinking, if Cash and I get Brock and Brian in sharpshooters, Arn can come to the apron and start to break it up. Then you and Arn start to tussle. Arn takes a bump, and you put him in the sharpshooter. All three of us would have the sharpshooter locked, and they’d all tap at the same time. What do you think?’”
Suddenly, any remaining frustration or angst from a long drive was replaced with excitement. If you grew up a wrestling fan, you are quite familiar with that building sensation, a distinct type of anticipation with something truly magical in the air. And that was unfolding in Webster.
“Bret paused and thought,” says Harwood. “He called me by my first name and said, ‘David, I haven’t done the sharpshooter in almost 10 years.’ As I was saying, ‘That’s O.K.,’ Bret said, ‘but I’m willing to try.’”
The men quickly pulled apart the steel chairs in which they were sitting to create extra space. Then, on a wooden floor in front of a crowd of four, Anderson laid down for Hart to apply his signature finishing maneuver. It began in the most familiar fashion, with Hart stepping across Anderson’s body with his left leg. Then he tied up his legs. Even though everyone in the room had seen the move performed countless times, witnessing it at that very moment made the room burst into a frenzy.
“I felt like I was in Chicago at WrestleMania 13 and Bret was about to lock Steve Austin in the sharpshooter,” says Harwood. “There was so much emotion in my body. I could barely contain it.”
Then he took the turn to lock in the sharpshooter. Just as he was about to complete it, Hart—who looks phenomenal for 64 (he is now 65) and is a proud survivor of cancer and a stroke—lost his footing and fell.
“I couldn’t get over the fact that Bret tried that for us,” says Harwood.“When I was a kid and I watched Bret wrestle, I felt like he was wrestling for me. On that day, he still made me feel that way. People question how I love wrestling, this inanimate object, so much, but I do. For me, it’s God, my wife, my daughter, and then professional wrestling. That moment reminded me of why I love wrestling with my whole body and soul.”
If you like watching Harwood wrestle, then you are going to love listening to him speak about it. His podcast, FTR With Dax Harwood, offers revealing, honest and fair insight into the colorful world of pro wrestling. Alongside cohost Matt Koon, who is masterly in the way he sets up topics yet keeps the focus on Harwood, the show remains distinct despite swimming in an ocean overflowing with podcasts.
“I’d been asked before to do a podcast, whether it was one about tag teams or wrestling psychology, but I had never wanted to do one,” says Harwood. “The market is so flooded with them. When my good buddy Matt Koon asked me, I agreed on one condition: I wanted to do it my way. I know that way might ruffle some feathers, but I’m not purposely trying to hurt feelings. I’m just going to be real. I can’t be fake. I need to tell the truth. I love doing that with Matt. He is the maestro, the conductor, and the amount of time and effort and heart he puts into this podcast, it’s amazing.
“My goal is to open up a whole world as to who wrestlers are. We’re a lot more than tough guys wrestling in our underwear. I want to break that exterior. The struggle is physical, but it’s also mental. For me, the struggle is about being a husband and a father, and balancing being home with life on the road. And I’m so grateful that people want to hear what I have to say.”
Harwood and Cash have wrestled across the globe, transforming FTR into an elite part of the industry’s most premier tag teams. Having starred in NXT, WWE and now AEW, with stops along the way in AAA and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Harwood has a plethora of stories—which include firsthand knowledge.
“My podcasts have been controversial, but mostly for clickbait articles,” says Harwood. “If you listen to the episodes, it’s a lot different. Usually, I’m the one taking the blame and talking about how good everyone else is—except for Road Dogg, I’ll continue to bury him all the time.”
Harwood does not shy away from difficult topics. There was even discussion about CM Punk and a potential return to AEW, a topic rarely ever publicly discussed among AEW talent.
“That was David Harwood speaking, and I was talking about one of my best friends,” says Harwood. “Just because of what happened, or what people think happened, there is no ill will. I’m here, at least through the duration of my contract in April, to make AEW the best company I can. If I continue to stay here, I want to make AEW the best company I possibly can, especially the younger wrestlers. There is so much potential here. Deep down, there are good people in wrestling—myself, Cash, Matt Koon, Punk, The Young Bucks—and we all inherently want to be good.”
“I don’t go out looking to upset people. There is a fine line when you try to portray a character, which makes you money, and being a human being, but I’m looking to tell the truth.”
Staying true to himself has been Harwood’s recipe for success. That carried him through his hardest times in wrestling, including in WWE. There was a point when he was considered too small and was thought to speak with too heavy an accent. Yet, as winter slowly marches toward spring in 2023, Harwood has become one of the most respected wrestlers in the world. He and Wheeler are in continual pursuit of perfection with their work, and they have a presence unlike any other team in wrestling.
“We weren’t blessed with superstar attributes,” says Harwood. “Look at Hulk Hogan and then look at Dax Harwood, and you see the obvious differences. And there were battles backstage in WWE. I’ve been handed a script where my verbiage was, ‘I’m going to take the tracker down yonder.’ That’s not how I speak. I have two degrees, one in business communication and one in English, ones that I paid for myself. I had to fight for that verbiage to be taken away. If I hadn’t, I never would have reached the success I have.
“Some people say I take wrestling too seriously. I take this seriously because I refuse to be overlooked. I’m making the most of this career. I want to leave a legacy here, especially after wrestling has meant so much to me in my life.”
With FTR’s existing AEW contract expiring in two months, there is no shortage of possibilities of where they will wrestle next. Whatever the future brings, hopefully it includes an option for Harwood to continue his podcast. For all its success, the show has only just begun to scratch the surface of the heights it can reach.
Harwood is so endearing on the podcast because of his vulnerability. Despite playing the role of a superhero, he has resonated with listeners for his direct approach and openness.
“As tough as I pretend to be, that’s a lot harder to do mentally,” says Harwood. “It’s an everyday struggle. So yes, this show is very vulnerable. I wear my emotions on my sleeve.”
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
