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FTR, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, said that working with Bret Hart was the culmination of a 30 year journey in pro wrestling.
In and interview with Sports Illustrated, Harwood and Wheeler talked in detail about working with Hart in a one off match for Big Time Wrestling. They also revealed a key piece of criticism that was given to them by Vince McMahon.
“That night was a culmination of a journey that’s been ongoing for more than 30 years,” Harwood said. “I was watching the King of the Ring pay-per-view 29 years ago, where I got to see Bret Hart wrestle three matches and tell three different stories that night. That’s also the night I told my mother I was going to be a pro wrestler.
“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.”
After the match was over, Harwood said he thought about all the great moments of his career, but that one specific things stuck in his head.
“That night, in the ring, I was thinking about the moment and how much it meant to me,” Harwood said. “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.’”
Harwood lost to Will Ospreay on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. FTR debuted for AEW in 2020.
It was a valid critique from Vince. The best performers present a package… athletism, knowledge, mic work… the rest go out and do gymnastic spots and are done in 5 years or less.