Dax Harwood Says He Pitched Stokely Hathaway As FTR’s Jim Cornette

FTR recently looked back on their initial pitch to be paired with Stokely Hathaway in AEW, and why they work so well together. The two allied with the loud-mouthed AEW manager back in April of 2025 when they turned heel, and have been united ever since.

The team recalled how they got teamed with Hathaway in their interview with SB Nation, and talked about their dynamic. Dax Harwood went so far as suggesting they could be aligned for the rest of their careers. You can see highlights below:

Harwood On the Initial Notion That They Were An Odd Match With Hathaway:

“I have to disagree with you. There is at least one person who knew it was gonna work, and that was me. Back when we were with the other company, we had a meeting with the boss, and we had pitched the idea of bringing in Stokely, who went by another moniker.We had pitched the idea of bringing Stokely on as a manager for us because I’ve seen his work and I’ve seen how charismatic he was and how funny he was, and I knew we could do some great stuff with him.

“Fast forward in AEW towards the end of 2021, beginning of 2022, I had talked to Tony, and I said: ‘Hey, I think there’s a guy whose contract is coming up soon, and I think he’d be a great addition for AEW, but I think on top of that, he’d be a great addition for FTR and be our Jim Cornette,’ and that was Stokely.”

Wheeler On Their Pairing With Hathaway:

“Yeah, and behind the scenes, Stokely is a slick businessman, so it makes sense to have him with us, but in front of the camera, he is such a talent, and he is so good at whatever he wants to be good at. If he wants to be funny, he can be funny. If he wants to be serious, he can be serious. He’s so good at all facets of it, and he brings a different element to us, a different style, a different personality.”

Harwood On the Future Of Their Pairing:

“I don’t know if we could ever go for the rest of our careers without FTR and Stokely being together.”