FTR’s Dax Harwood announced that he and Cash Wheeler are stepping away from full-time wrestling to rest and spend time with their families, the first extended break the team has taken in 12 years.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Harwood wrote that FTR had kept “the pedal to the floor” since the summer of 2014 and that both members had become physically and mentally exhausted. He said their only prior time away came after a bicep tear in 2017.
“For the first time in 12 years, we’ve decided to step away and take some time for ourselves & for our families,” Harwood wrote. He added that he was unsure when the team would return or what they would do next, writing, “I’m not sure when we’ll be back, what we’re going to do, how much longer we have, or if we even need to prove anything at all anymore.”
Harwood detailed a list of injuries he has worked through, including three hematomas in his lower back, another bicep tear he opted not to have surgery on, a labrum tear running from his groin to his hip, and a shoulder he said needs replacement. He noted that he and Wheeler were among the few talents who regularly worked both Collision and Dynamite.
Harwood said FTR will still appear on two independent dates. The team is booked for Appalachian Mountain Wrestling on August 22 to face The Good Brothers in Corbin, Kentucky, and for RevPro on August 29 to challenge for the Undisputed British Tag Team Championship against The Young Guns at Wembley Arena. He closed the statement, “Top Guys, out.”
FTR are three-time AEW World Tag Team Champions who lost the titles to Adam Copeland and Christian Cage at Double or Nothing 2026. The team has been with AEW since 2020 and signed four-year contracts in 2023 that are approaching their option year. FTR had said previously that they expected to be done as full-time wrestlers around the end of that deal.
Harwood shared the announcement on his Instagram account, which can be found at https://www.instagram.com/daxharwood.
