WWE News: Former Tag Team Champs Say Vince McMahon Apologized To Them For ‘Broken’ Creative System
In a recent podcast appearance, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler of FTR — who were previously known in WWE as Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder of The Revival — opened up about their final meeting with chairman Vince McMahon and how he supposedly apologized to them for the company’s creative issues.
On Thursday, both FTR members appeared on Excuse Me: The Vickie Guerrero Show, where they discussed various topics regarding their time in WWE and their current stint in AEW. As quoted by Wrestling Inc., Guerrero complained about how hard it was for her to get her ideas through to McMahon, noting that there’s “something seriously wrong” with a system of communication where performers have to “go through so many people” before their suggestions reach the chairman.
After Wheeler agreed with Guerrero’s comments about the “broken” creative system, Harwood told the ex-WWE on-air authority figure that McMahon himself acknowledged this problem when he had his final meeting with the former tag team champions.
“In our very last meeting with Vince, he actually apologized to us, because the system was broken. And the crazy thing is, Vince wants to hear those ideas, whether he wants to use them or not. Just like everyone, he wants to hear those ideas.”
Harwood also explained that McMahon’s subordinates in the creative team often fail to relay the wrestlers’ suggestions to him. He speculated that these employees are “so afraid to go face-to-face with him” and potentially lose their jobs for saying something the boss doesn’t like.
Following up on his partner’s remarks, Wheeler commended McMahon for being a brilliant promoter and opined that as the head of a sports-entertainment giant, he has the right to run the promotion any way he wants to. However, he pointed out that certain things that work for McMahon might not work for the wrestlers, hence their decision to not re-sign with WWE when their contracts came up and leave the company in April.
“Rather than beating our heads against the wall, it made sense to just walk away,” Wheeler continued.
Additionally, Harwood and Guerrero talked about how certain WWE employees have become “complacent” due to their apparent fear of McMahon, preventing them from realizing their potential and making them forget how they can do much better in their roles.
Since making their AEW debut in May, both FTR members have been quite open about the challenges they faced while working for McMahon. However, they have also had positive things to say about some of their former colleagues. They revealed last month that Roman Reigns and Randy Orton both wanted to work with them prior to their departure from WWE.
