10 Biggest Missed AEW Opportunities

3. FTR Vs. The Young Bucks III

Cody Rhodes AEW World Champion
AEW

Earlier this year, the stars had aligned perfectly.

On one hand, you had FTR, viewed by some as being the absolute best tag team on the planet. On the other, there was the Young Bucks, likewise viewed by some as the absolute best tag team on the planet. Having met twice before and being tied at one win apiece, it seemed only a matter of time before these tandems squared off in a rubber match.

To add further spice to the matter, FTR were (are still are) the ROH, IWGP, and AAA Tag Team Champions, while the Bucks at that point held the AEW Tag Team Titles. Surely, anyone with any sense would book a white-hot third match with all the gold on the line in what could legitimately be a PPV main event...

Rather than pair the Jacksons up with Dax and Cash once more, the frankly bizarre decision was made to have the Young Bucks drop the AEW Tag Team Titles to Swerve in Our Glory at Fyter Fest this July, as the company looked to usher in the long-discussed Trios Titles and make the Bucks a pivotal part of the arrival of said six-man belts.

Making this all the more puzzling, FTR have been - as of this writing - #1 contenders for the AEW Tag Team Championships since 6 April this year, and have yet to get a shot at those straps during that time. Not only has Tony Khan missed out on a Winner Takes All spectacle between two fantastic tandems, but he's also yet to pull the trigger on making further history by having Harwood and Wheeler hold four sets of titles at once.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.