Dax Harwood has hit out at a snub of FTR by All Elite Wrestling, which has celebrated other Wrestling Observer Newsletter award winners from its roster.
AEW published a series of tweets throughout Saturday to congratulate its roster members who were successful in the 2022 WON awards.
These included: Bryan Danielson (Best Technical Wrestler), MJF (Best on Interviews and Most Charismatic), Jon Moxley (Wrestler of the Year, US and Canada MVP, and Bruiser Brody Memorial Award), and The Acclaimed (Most Improved).
FTR won the category for Best Tag Team, but no celebratory tweet for this was posted by AEW.
Alluding to this and FTR’s contract status, Dax Harwood posted a tweet showing some of the other winners with the statement, “Tell me April’s around the corner without telling me April’s around the corner.”
Later, AEW acknowledged the FTR & Briscoes’ joint award for Feud of the Year without mentioning FTR.
I feel like this is something that only fans should care about. A performer shouldn’t be worried about what Dave Meltzer and co. think, and that’s nothing against Dave as I do respect his work.
Even if it is a work, this guy needs to just shut the fuck up already. I’m getting so tired of him, I’m almost hoping FTR goes back to WWE, so that we wont get so much whining publicly from this guy. I still hope they do show back up this week and win and take the tag titles, but I wouldnt mind a Best Friends run either. They are deserving.
I’m mostly just worried that it’s trending towards Tony as a prominent on-screen character/villain. Hopefully if they do a “authority” angle — which I don’t advocate — they’re smart enough to use the EVPs who are actual wrestlers.
I agree. Their complaining only gives me the impression that perhaps they aren’t the easiest people to work with. Didn’t they also talk very publicly about wanting a release for the last year of their WWE contract?
And really them talking has no benefit to anyone. In particular themselves! WWE can low-ball them knowing they are unhappy with AEW. And it ruins any surprise of them showing up somewhere else because it’s now expected that they won’t stay.
And if they do stay then the backstage drama involved overshadows their on-screen characters.
As I said above, I’m not sure where the line is between fact and fiction here. But if I never see a “working the internet” storyline again, it’ll still be too soon. Wrestling in 2023 spends 90% of the time, including moments within the actual shows, acknowledging that it’s all a work, but still does stuff like this, and I just have no interest for it.
Isn’t it funny how so many of the performers who were unhappy and complaining to be released in WWE are seeming to also be unhappy in AEW. FTR, Miro, Andrade etc. I’m by no means implying WWE has no issues, but sometimes the performers are the difficult ones.
I do think that’s where we’re headed (not the Arn part, but the FTR/Punk part). And if that happens, all will be forgiven if the matches and promos are good, by many people including me. But I still think the trip from Point A to Point B is going to be insufferable smark stuff.
… They spent the year as ROH / IWGP / AAA Tag Team Champions. They headlined three PPVs. They were treated as special attractions and important focal points of almost every show they were a part of. I think it’s a little disingenuous to portray them as being ignored / overlooked.
I feel like aside from the trios stuff this year, The Young Bucks were hardly hogging a spotlight or taking attention from FTR.
Since I started watching again a few years back I continue to be shocked how overly-serious a lot of the performers take the business. Don’t get me wrong, I prefer the serious, logical wrestling over the comedy/trampoline stuff. But there are only so many slots for top guys/girls. Only so many people can be the world champ, and even fewer will have long runs with the belt.
It makes me have a lot of respect for guys like Sami and KO who were smart enough to understand that they have productive on-screen roles every week, and that’s good enough. You’re getting paid tons of cash to live your dream for the biggest company in the world. And eventually if you keep your head down long enough and do the Johnny Knoxville matches and Shane McMahon feuds, you end up organically being a part of the biggest storyline in the business, or having a match with Stone Cold at Wrestlemania.
