Exclusive: FTR Says Dusty Rhodes Told Them To Never Leave Each Other’s Side

By Cassidy Haynes Last updated Sep 23, 2020

AEW World Tag Team Champions Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, FTR recently appeared on Bodyslam.net’s podcast, The Push.

Bodyslam owner Cassidy Haynes and co-host Dom Mallon, spoke with FTR about their time in their new home of AEW, the influences of Tully Blanchard and Dusty Rhodes throughout their career, and their opinions on their best opponents in the ring (both in WWE and moving forward).

Dom asked the guys about training under Dusty Rhodes, and what it must’ve been like sitting under the learning tree. He then asked if there were any pieces of wisdom or advice that Dusty gave that stuck with them.

“Dusty wanted us to be a team. I think he enjoyed that we were both southern boys and he liked our accents, our style of work and that we also weren’t the biggest guys in the room. We’re 5’10 and surrounded by 6’5-6’6 guys and you’re often overlooked, but he told us never to leave each other’s side…be seen together all the time so that everyone can see what [Dusty] sees just on the surface.”

“No one is ever gonna be Dusty but he knew being able to converse and being conversational with your audience and with your peers is what makes you money because you’re on their level now.” – Dax Harwood

“The craziest thing about learning from Dusty was that half the time you didn’t even realize you were learning until after he already taught you, like he would Mr. Miyogi you…he would get you in touch with who you are as a performer and not what other people’s perceptions of you should be or what your idea of yourself as a wrestler was. He would find out something about you that was different and he would find a way to transition that into wrestling so that you’re being more organic with yourself and more real” – Cash

You can listen to the entire episode of The Push, featuring special guests AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR below. (The Dusty segment quoted above begins around the 7:30 mark.)