Dax Harwood understands where Sasha Banks was coming from, what she is fighting for and some of the backlash she was likely to receive because of it. It’s why one-half of All Elite Wrestling’s FTR tag team said he tweeted in support of the WWE star the day after she and Naomi walked out on “Monday Night Raw” on May 16.
Harwood tweeted a photo of him getting a hug from Banks with tag partner Cash Wheeler in the background with the caption: “Always, always, ALWAYS stand up for what you believe in. F–king ALWAYS!!!”
Banks and Naomi bailed on their six-pack challenge main event reportedly over an issue with the proposed creative around their WWE women’s tag team championships. The plan would have seen them embark on championship singles feuds and put any tag-title programs on hold. Harwood and Wheeler, then The Revival in WWE, asked for and received their release from the company in April 2020 because they were also unhappy with the direction of the tag team division and want a chance to wrestle as many different teams across promotions as possible to prove they were the top team in the world.
Harwood, who along with Wheeler will be part of a winner-take-all triple-tag-title match at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view on Sunday, saw some similarities between what they and Banks were fighting for and didn’t want her to get beat down by any of the negativity he thought might follow.
Sasha Banks and Dax HarwoodWWE, AEW“Cash and I did the same thing and a lot of fans for some reason had decided that we were crybabies and we whined and we should have just done our job and shut up,” Harwood told The Post when asked about the tweet. “And that’s hard to read every single day, especially when all we’re trying to do is make wrestling better, make tag team wrestling better, but also to make ourselves better and make our legacy even better.”
He praised Banks for standing up for her beliefs. Banks and Naomi, who also received plenty of positive support from fans, have since been suspended by WWE and reports have surfaced that the company is considering releasing Banks. Harwood just wanted his friend to know he had her back after the initial walk-out.
Dax Harwood understands what Sasha Banks is going through and wanted to show the embattled WWE star.@DaxFTR“If I would have just stuck around and stayed in the same position that we were in there’s no way our brand would’ve grown. So I know exactly what she’s going through, what she’s feeling,” Harwood said. “And she probably was feeling that ‘I don’t feel respected and I could be doing way more and if I continue to stick around I’m going to continue to get pushed to the side.’
“And it’s in the contract, just like we are and we still are. We have the option to find other work. And for fans to s—t on her, or s—t on us, because we want better for ourselves and tell us just to shut up and take the money, man that’s hard to read every day so that’s why I wanted to show that support to her.”
