FTR Have LOST Their Last Set Of Tag Team Titles At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17

AEW Vs. WWE bidding war to intensify...?

by Michael Sidgwick
FTR Dax
AEW

At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, FTR lost the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles to the Bishamon unit of Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi in a hard-hitting and well-received affair.

After reigning with three sets of titles as part of an international belt collector gimmick throughout much of 2022, they no longer hold any gold - which will obviously intensify rumours of their departure from All Elite Wrestling in the near-future. Dax Harwood, when speaking to Fightful in December 2022, expressed his "belief" that his contract (and the separate contract signed by partner Cash Wheeler) is up in April of this year.

The timing is certainly suspect, but is this by design?

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FTR are currently on an arc in AEW in which their "legacy" is in doubt. This is the thrust of their (ongoing?) programme with the Gunns. If they were WWE-bound, this match result is the expected order of business, but perhaps there's a meta approach at work here, one that might lead to a "last chance" match of sorts versus the Acclaimed at Revolution. AEW has employed this device previously at Full Gear 2019 and Full Gear 2020.

Time will tell, and time may well be up in a few short months.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!