Current AEW Star Opens Up About WWE Backstage Issues

WWE

AEW star Dax Harwood of FTR has opened up about some of the backstage battles he had while with WWE.

Following stints on NXT, Raw and SmackDown, Harwood and Cash Wheeler requested their WWE releases in January 2019. Their releases were granted over a year later, in April 2020.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Harwood recalled some of the issues he had with the previous creative regime.

Addressing claims that he takes wrestling too seriously, Harwood said:

“We weren’t blessed with superstar attributes. 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.”

The WWE creative team has changed significantly since Harwood’s departure, with Triple H overseeing all WWE creative following Vince McMahon’s departure in July 2022.

McMahon returned to the WWE board of directors in January, and currently acts as the company’s executive chairman.

Harwood and Wheeler are currently considering their futures in wrestling, ahead of their AEW contracts expiring in April.

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• Backstage
• dax harwood
• AEW
• wwe

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