AEW: Dax Harwood Apologizes for Issues Caused by His Podcast, Tony Khan, Dynamite Match Producers

AEW

Jan 14, 2023

Dax Harwood Apologizes to Those in AEW He Upset Over His Podcast Series

A recent episode of the FTR with Dax Harwood podcast featured co-host Dax Harwood stating that while reception to his new podcast series has been mostly positive within AEW, he apologizes to those within the company he might have upset over his comments about CM Punk on his podcast.

“Nah, I haven’t heard anything about it (people being upset about the podcast). No, of course I’ve heard about it. Everybody’s tweeted me and text me and that’s all I read. Um, yeah, apparently there’s some people in the AEW locker room were unhappy with my podcast and that’s okay if they were, but to me it’s funny that I talk to you (podcast co-host) and I told you even before this stuff got out, I told you I had at the very least, 20 text messages from the guys and girls that I worked with who told me how much they love the podcast, how much they enjoyed my thoughts and feelings and how I expressed wrestling and they also enjoyed the fact that I didn’t play either side and that I just told the truth. So for some of the people that are upset with me, I wonder why they’re upset because all I did was paint a company that I’m in love with or that I believe in-in a positive light and all I did was paint a few people that were in the news in a positive light because in the core, I believe that they all are good people. But, I guess some people weren’t happy that I was maybe expressing the true human being that CM Punk is or maybe they were unhappy that I was expressing the true human beings that The Young Bucks or Kenny [Omega] or whoever was, maybe that’s it too.
So for anybody that’s upset with me, I implore them to please come to me as I would come to you face-to-face and talk to you and tell you how I feel. To all the people from AEW and even all the people, a ton of people from WWE, who downloaded my two episodes, who retweeted my two episodes, who put over the fact that I was well-spoken, I was fair, that I was truthful and the passion, more than anything, the passion that I have for professional wrestling. That’s all I have and that’s all I can tell and that’s all I can portray is what I love and how much I love this because there ain’t too many things in the world, people included, human beings included that I love more than wrestling and so for people to reach out to tell me that and then, God dang man, then I read that people at my locker room is unhappy with me… For someone who has mental health struggles, that did hurt a little bit but then I had to take a step back, I talked with you, I talked with Cash [Wheeler] and they reminded me, you reminded me that it’s not everybody. It’s probably a handful of people.”

Harwood also stated that CM Punk has not been using him as a soundboard to air out his grievances against AEW.

“For the first narrative about [CM] Punk, I can give you 100 percent God’s honest truth, he has never told me to say anything. He’s never expressed to me that he wants me to paint a certain narrative about him. I can also tell you to God’s honest truth that he told me, he said, ‘I haven’t even listened to your podcast.’ Guys, he’s a beautiful human being, The Young Bucks are beautiful human beings, okay? All of them are. All I was trying to do was make things right, that’s all. That’s the only thing I was trying to do. Maybe I went too far or maybe it’s not for me to make right. But, in the moment, as a human being who has a heart, who loves wrestling, I tried to make things right and that was all. If I was wrong for that and I upset those guys and even if I upset Punk, I sincerely apologize. If I upset my office, I sincerely apologize. If I upset anybody else who’s letting Dave Meltzer know that the locker room is upset with me, if I upset that person, I sincerely apologize, that was not my goal. My goal was to make AEW better, that’s all.”

In regards to Harwood’s apology, Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that Harwood’s podcast episode about CM Punk ended up being a hot topic within AEW’s locker room this past week. AEW officials reportedly felt concerned enough that they held a talent meeting to ensure everyone knew of the details and were all on the same page to prevent another backstage controversy from digging a new hole for the company.

Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com

Tony Khan Comments on AEW’s Plans to Run House Show Events This Year

A recent episode of the In The Zone podcast had AEW CEO Tony Khan as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Khan’s thoughts on AEW’s current plans to run house show events at some point this year.

“That’s something we are talking about. We have a great live events team. It’s something we’ve talked a lot about and building out the live event business. There is definitely a lot of demand for AEW live events, and now we have this great big strong roster that wants to do these live events, so it’s something we’re going to do.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

This Past Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite Show Match Producers

Fightful Select reported that the following people were the match and segment producers for this past Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite show in Los Angeles, California:

Jon Moxley vs. “Hangman” Adam Page – Dean Malenko
The Firm (Big Bill & Lee Moriarty) vs. Jungle Boy and HOOK – QT Marshall
Bryan Danielson vs. Konosuke Takeshita – Jerry Lynn
MJF’s promo segment with Takeshita – Pat Buck
Toni Storm & Saraya vs. Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter – BJ Whitmer
The Jericho Appreciation Society, Ricky Starks, & Action Andretti promo segment – Luther
The Elite vs. Death Triangle (c), AEW World Trios Championship Match 7 Escalera de la Muerte – Christopher Daniels