As William Regal left AEW and made his return to WWE, his Gentleman Villain podcast on Ad Free Shows was replaced by FTR with Dax Harwood.
On the debut episode of his new show, Dax Harwood came to the defense of his longtime friend CM Punk regarding the now-infamous media scrum and ensuing brawl that took place after AEW All Out. The FTR member said he hoped Punk could return to AEW and work with The Elite once again. The tag team star also claimed that Punk never wanted to be World Champion and was extremely happy to be part of All Elite Wrestling.
The podcast made waves, with reports emerging that those backstage in AEW weren’t happy with the star’s comments.
“I’ll Never Lie To My Fans” – Dax Harwood
Now, on the second episode of FTR with Dax Harwood, the former ROH Tag Team Champion addressed the rumors of discontent among the AEW locker room. When his co-host asked if he was surprised by the reaction, response, or downloads following his debut episode, Dax Harwood replied that he was surprised by all of the above but doesn’t begrudge anyone who didn’t agree with his point of view.
“All of the above. You know, we got a response from Road Dogg, and maybe we’ll talk about that one day. You know, he went on his YouTube page and had a response for us. But, you know, there were some people that didn’t like a lot of the things I said and that’s okay. I still have the same love for you that I do for the people that love me, because, man, you’re a wrestling fan and you’re passionate. So I’ve been there and I completely understand where you’re coming from.
Continuing, Dax Harwood said that the majority of people who listened loved the podcast, and he insisted that he’ll never lie to his supporters.
“But man, more often than not, people loved it. You know, they absolutely loved the podcast, they love the openness. And you know, like I said, on our, you know, on our screener, one thing I will never ever do is I’ll never lie to my fans. Because I think if I lied to them, they could see right through me, or if I think I was sugar coating anything, they’d see right through me. And I don’t ever want to do that.
“Bret [Hart] said that you can never go wrong by telling the truth, you know. In short, maybe exaggerating, or lying could help you and make you feel better. But in the long run, telling the truth is always the way to go. And so I’m going to pride myself on always telling the truth.”
Dax Harwood was last in action at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 alongside his FTR tag team partner Cash Wheeler. The two lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship to Bishamon’s Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI.
If you use any quotes from this transcription, please credit FTR with Dax Harwood and link back to this article with a h/t to Inside the Ropes.