FTR is so good Tony Khan can’t ebook them

FTR — Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler — are the very best wrestlers on the earth.

I’m not even certain it’s all that shut proper now. This is all the time a subjective debate, but when we’re occurring who has placed on essentially the most matches this 12 months that had everybody speaking, FTR is Secretariat-distance forward of the sector. Roman Reigns could be the greatest title within the trade, however the truth that he will get in a hoop as soon as each two months — and it’s virtually all the time towards Brock Lesnar — guidelines him out. Seth Rollins could also be doing the very best work of his profession, however once more, his massive matches come sporadically and he spent an excessive amount of time getting punked out by Cody Rhodes (admittedly a private bias, however I’m calling the pictures right here). There’s been a late push from, shockingly, Chris Jericho, who has spent the previous few weeks throwing out banger after banger that he actually has no proper to be producing at his age, however that’s solely a late surge.

Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson are all the time straightforward selections, and also you wouldn’t be improper to counsel them. But most of their matches if not all have been contained to AEW tv, and maybe their normal is simply so excessive it’s exhausting for them to face out.

Ever since about March although, every time FTR will get within the ring, the entire wrestling world turns into infected, if not downright riotous. People don’t simply discuss “Match of the Year” every time the bell closes out one other FTR match. They say issues like “best match I’ve ever seen.”

Both their matches with the Briscoes for the ROH titles have set an ordinary for tag crew wrestling that virtually nobody else goes to get inside a zipper code of. Of course, FTR set the usual to be surpassed years in the past of their textbook feud with Team DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa) in NXT. When FTR claimed the AAA tag titles in Mexico over Dragon Lee and Dralístico, most agreed that will have been a candidate for match of the 12 months if FTR hadn’t then gone on to do their wrestling model of Exile on Main St. with the Briscoes. Their claiming of the IWGP tag titles at Forbidden Door over Roppongi Vice and United Empire would have gotten much more acclaim if it hadn’t come on the heels of the primary match with the Briscoes. Or had they not placed on a six-man humper subsequent to Trent Beretta towards United Empire a few weeks earlier than on Rampage.

Somehow, their first matchup with Motor City Machine Guns at All Out, a match that followers had been concocting within the lab of their minds for years, felt a little bit flat, largely due to the work that FTR had been doing the remainder of the 12 months, and likewise as a result of it was a pointless six-man affair (then once more, every thing is pointless if Jay Lethal is concerned). And then, this previous weekend, FTR had one other basic on NJPW’s present in England towards United Empire once more, retaining the NJPW titles and setting themselves as much as be a serious a part of Wrestle Kingdom in January.

For a tag crew, it’s an unprecedented run, not likely seen lately since New Day and the Usos have been being hurled at one another each three weeks by Vince McMahon and but someway making it work.

Of course, the issue, and one which FTR has been mentioning fairly commonly lately, is that so little of it has taken place on AEW TV. FTR hasn’t appeared on both Dynamite or Rampage by themselves as a tag crew since May (!). There have been six-man tags with Wardlow or Danhausen or others, and Dax Harwood has been in a good quantity of singles matches (additionally all nice, even when he loses all of them), however the very best tag crew on the earth has not been on TV in almost six months. How can this be?

It may simply be that they’re too good.

While it appears preposterous, there hasn’t been a window for them actually. It’s exhausting to place FTR in easy tag matches beneath the title for too lengthy, as a result of then it turns into fairly apparent they should be wrestling for the titles. The AEW tag titles began the 12 months by being received by Jurassic Express in January. Both FTR and Jurassic Express are face groups, and whereas FTR can do something you ask of them, it’s simpler to make Jurassic Express look good by having them defend towards groups that aren’t fairly on their degree as an alternative of 1 crew everyone knows is past them.

When the Young Bucks defeated Jurassic Express in June for the titles, AEW was within the midst of pushing each Swerve In Our Glory (Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland) and the now-split duo of Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks. Which they need to, as a result of each of these groups are unbelievable. And each wanted the rub of chasing gold.

Swerve in Our Glory took the tag titles off the Bucks inside a month, however you don’t give a crew shine by having them instantly drop the belts. They want some burn with it. And who of their proper thoughts would purchase {that a} crew thrown collectively solely a few months earlier than is actually going to take down FTR?

Soon got here the rise of The Acclaimed, and it’s the type of natural push that no sensible firm will get in the best way of. But once more, as fashionable as The Acclaimed has turn out to be, nobody’s going to significantly simply go together with them beating FTR with out shenanigans, which might fly proper within the face of their newfound babyface cost. It was the identical for Swerve In Our Glory, who have been additionally faces till they got here up towards the overwhelming drive of recognition The Acclaimed have been. Heel Swerve would have been an incredible adversary for FTR, however AEW rightly pulled the set off on The Acclaimed.

And The Acclaimed want a while with the titles too, to completely squeeze every thing out of their present buzz. So can you actually throw FTR at them? FTR might make any story work, however are we severely going to just accept a crew that at present holds the tag titles in three totally different international locations doing the job for The Acclaimed? Come on. That day might come, however The Acclaimed have to rack up a couple of defenses earlier than it does.

So the place do you set FTR? The Bucks aren’t round because of their handbag-related suspension, and even nonetheless AEW has all the time wished to save lots of one other Bucks-FTR match for a giant event. So who else? Jurassic Express isn’t any extra, as is House Of Black. Santana and Ortiz are in damage hell, and the Hardy Boyz are in Jeff Hardy hell. The Lucha Bros. are at present trios champs and nowhere close to the tag titles, although that might change. For now, FTR appears to be like to be locking up with Gunn Club, whom they actually ought to ritually kill. Does that purchase sufficient time for The Acclaimed to justifiably stand in a hoop with the very best the trade has to supply proper now? Maybe one thing with Andrade and Rush to purchase extra time?

As deep as AEW’s tag division is, there simply isn’t anybody on FTR’s degree proper now, particularly with out the Bucks. And it might take much more time to get somebody there. It actually is one thing to be so good that your personal firm can’t discover a spot for you.