Ricky Starks & Big Bill defeated FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championships last Saturday on AEW Collision. Following the show, there had been speculation about FTR’s AEW status.
There was also a report that Wheeler was injured, and that’s the reason for such a short and one-sided match. FTR is under contract through 2027. Dax Harwood later noted on Twitter that they won’t be leaving the promotion.
While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted Wheeler is not injured. It was added that FTR would be back in the mix soon as the match and losing dominantly was their idea, to set up a future rematch.
Meltzer: “So the deal, I guess, is that Cash Wheeler wasn’t hurt and it’s all storyline.”
Bryan Alvarez: “He wasn’t hurt?”
Meltzer: “No, it’s a storyline. It’s just it was just to put those guys over big and you know they’re going to be back in the mix and it was the match thing. I mean, the match thing was their idea for sure..”
Alvarez: “When we talked about him being injured this weekend until this exact moment right here, nobody, Dave, disputed that he was injured, which is very interesting. Now that you say that they’re not injured, I find that very interesting.”
Meltzer: “No, they said that that’s all story, that there is no injury, that it was just….we’ll see. We’ll see. But it’s supposed to be a rematch. I mean, the way it was laid out, it’s like setting up a rematch when Ricky Starks and Big Bill said there’s going to be no rematch. It was to say it was basically to set up a rematch.”
Alvarez: “Well, of course, there’s going to be a rematch down the road. I mean, that was obvious.”
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