1. Overview
David Michael Harwood (born June 30, 1984), known by his ring names Dax Harwood and Scott Dawson, is an American professional wrestler. He is widely recognized for his prominent career in tag team wrestling, primarily as one-half of the renowned duo FTR (with Cash Wheeler) in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and previously as part of The Revival (with Dash Wilder) in WWE. Harwood has achieved significant success, including multiple reigns as AEW World Tag Team Champion, and holding the NXT Tag Team Championship, WWE Raw Tag Team Championship, and WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship in WWE, making him the first to achieve the WWE Tag Team Triple Crown with Wilder. Beyond WWE, FTR has made history by simultaneously holding the AAA World Tag Team Championship, ROH World Tag Team Championship, and IWGP Tag Team Championship, showcasing their dominance across major international promotions. This article chronicles Harwood's journey from his independent circuit beginnings to his current status as a celebrated tag team specialist.
2. Early life and background
David Michael Harwood was born on June 30, 1984. His early life was spent in Whiteville, North Carolina. He pursued higher education and played college football at East Carolina University before transferring to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where he earned a degree in business communication. In 2018, his family's home in Whiteville suffered severe damage due to Hurricane Florence.
2.1. Childhood and education
Harwood's academic journey included studies at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where he obtained a degree in business communication. His athletic background includes playing college football, demonstrating a foundation in teamwork and physical discipline that would later be evident in his wrestling career.
3. Professional wrestling career
David Michael Harwood's professional wrestling career began in 2004, leading him through various independent promotions before he achieved widespread recognition in major companies like WWE and AEW.
3.1. Independent circuit (2004-2012)
Harwood debuted in professional wrestling in August 2004 under the ring name KC McKnight, primarily competing in local independent promotions in his home state of California, such as World Class Extreme Wrestling (WCEW). In 2006, he began wrestling for CWF Mid-Atlantic (Carolina Wrestling Federation Mid-Atlantic), an affiliate of AWA Superstars of Wrestling.
In October 2011, Harwood traveled to Japan to compete for Pro Wrestling Zero1, an AWA-affiliated promotion. There, he wrestled as KC Anderson and was introduced as a disciple of CW Anderson. On October 10, he faced Shito Ueda but was defeated. Beginning in 2012, he also participated in Rampage Pro Wrestling (RPW), an affiliate of the NWA, where he became a prominent figure on their television shows. On May 27, he notably defeated Davey Richards in a singles match at the Memorial Mayhem event. During his time on the independent circuit, he also worked with various North Carolina independents, including the United Professional Wrestling Association in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he competed against wrestlers such as Zane and Dave Dawson, Daniel Messina, Charlie Dreamer, and Marcus Shields. He also made a dark match appearance for Ring of Honor (ROH) in 2010 prior to ROH The Big Bang!.
3.2. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (2012-2020)
Harwood signed a developmental contract with WWE in November 2012, adopting the ring name Scott Dawson. He was assigned to the WWE Performance Center to train.
3.2.1. NXT (2012-2017)
Dawson made his televised debut on the March 7, 2013, episode of NXT, where he teamed with Judas Devlin in a two-on-one handicap match, losing to Adrian Neville. He made another appearance on the April 10 NXT episode, suffering a six-man tag team defeat against The Shield in an enhancement role.
In May 2013, Dawson formed a tag team called The Southerners with Garrett Dylan, managed by Sylvester Lefort. On the June 26 NXT episode, Dawson and Dylan lost a number one contender's match for the NXT Tag Team Championship to Corey Graves and Kassius Ohno. The team dissolved shortly after when Dylan was released in August 2013. Following this, Dawson initially competed as a singles wrestler with limited success. He then formed another tag team, The Fighting Legionnaires, with Alexander Rusev, also managed by Lefort. They feuded with Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady. Dawson and Rusev unsuccessfully participated in a contendership battle royal for the NXT Tag Team Championship on the September 12 NXT episode. Their alliance ended in October when Rusev turned on Lefort in favor of being managed by Lana. Soon after, Dawson suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, sidelining him for several months.
Upon his return from injury in June 2014, Dawson formed a new tag team with Dash Wilder, extensively performing at live events under the name The Mechanics. They made their televised debut on the July 31, 2014, episode of NXT, losing to Bull Dempsey and Mojo Rawley. The duo had only one more televised appearance in 2014, losing to Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady on October 23, but continued to wrestle frequently at house shows. On the June 10, 2015, NXT episode, Dawson faced Samoa Joe in the main event, losing the match.
The team, which later began to be called Dash and Dawson on October 21, 2015, and officially rebranded as The Revival in February 2016, gained their first televised victory on the July 29, 2015, NXT episode, defeating Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady. At NXT TakeOver: Respect, Dash and Dawson were defeated in the semi-finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic by eventual winners Finn Bálor and Samoa Joe. On November 11, 2015, The Revival defeated The Vaudevillains to win the NXT Tag Team Championship for the first time. They successfully defended the titles against Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady at NXT TakeOver: London on December 16. Dawson also made his WWE main roster debut alongside Wilder at Roadblock, defending their NXT Tag Team Championships against Amore and Cassady.
On April 1, 2016, at NXT TakeOver: Dallas, The Revival lost the NXT Tag Team Championship to American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan). However, they reclaimed the titles two months later at NXT TakeOver: The End on June 8, becoming two-time NXT Tag Team Champions. At NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II, The Revival retained their titles against Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. On November 19, 2016, at NXT TakeOver: Toronto, The Revival lost the tag team titles to #DIY (Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano) in a two out of three falls match. They failed to win back the titles at NXT TakeOver: Orlando on April 1, 2017, in a triple threat tag team elimination match.
3.2.2. Main roster (2017-2020)
On the April 3, 2017, episode of Raw following WrestleMania 33, The Revival answered an open challenge from The New Day (Big E and Xavier Woods with Kofi Kingston). The Revival defeated The New Day and subsequently attacked Kofi Kingston, who was not participating in the match. The team then went on hiatus due to Wilder's injury. Wilder returned on the May 22, 2017, Raw episode, making a backstage appearance during a sneak attack on Enzo Amore. Although Big Cass later accused both Wilder and Dawson, they denied involvement. On August 7, 2017, Dawson suffered a right bicep injury during a live event match against Cesaro and Sheamus, which kept him out of action for five to six months.
Dawson returned on the December 18 Raw episode, teaming with Wilder to defeat Heath Slater and Rhyno. The Revival participated in the Raw Tag Team Eliminator tournament to crown new champions but lost in the semi-finals to Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt. At the SummerSlam 2018 Pre-show, The Revival lost to Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel in a Raw Tag Team Championship match. At Survivor Series, they were part of Team Raw but lost to Team SmackDown in the 10-on-10 Survivor Series tag team elimination match.
Following this, they engaged in a feud with The Lucha House Party and suffered several losses in handicap matches. On the December 17, 2018, Raw episode, they defeated Lucha House Party, The B-Team, and AOP in a Fatal 4-Way Match to earn a Raw Tag Team Title shot. In the subsequent two Raw episodes, they unsuccessfully challenged Bobby Roode and Chad Gable for the titles. Reports indicated that the duo requested their release from WWE contracts after their match against Lucha House Party on the January 14, 2019, Raw episode.
On the February 11, 2019, Raw episode, Dawson and Wilder defeated Roode and Gable to win the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship for the first time. They lost their titles at WrestleMania 35 to Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins. On the June 10, 2019, episode of Raw, The Revival regained the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Ryder and Hawkins in a triple threat match also involving The Usos. They held the titles until August 12, 2019, when R-Truth pinned Dawson during a match to win the WWE 24/7 Championship from him as part of a chaotic segment where Harwood and Wilder briefly became co-champions, only for Truth to regain it moments later with assistance from Carmella.
The Revival then began aligning with Randy Orton in a feud against The New Day. On September 15 at Clash of Champions, The Revival defeated Xavier Woods and Big E for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship, making them the first team to hold the Raw Tag Team Championship, SmackDown Tag Team Championship, and NXT Tag Team Championship, thus achieving the first WWE Tag Team Triple Crown. The Revival was drafted to SmackDown as part of the 2019 WWE Draft. On April 10, 2020, both Dawson and Dash Wilder were released from their WWE contracts.
3.3. All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and other promotions (2020-present)
After their departure from WWE, David Harwood and Cash Wheeler quickly found a new home in All Elite Wrestling, forming a highly successful tag team that would extend their dominance across multiple promotions.
3.3.1. Formation of FTR and early AEW career
On the May 27, 2020, episode of Dynamite, Dax Harwood (formerly Scott Dawson) and Cash Wheeler (formerly Dash Wilder) made their surprise debut in All Elite Wrestling as FTR. They established themselves as babyfaces by saving The Young Bucks from an attack by The Butcher and The Blade. FTR made their in-ring debut on the June 10 Dynamite episode, defeating The Butcher and The Blade. In the following weeks, FTR had interactions with The Young Bucks and the then-AEW World Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega and Hangman Page. This included an eight-man tag team match at Fyter Fest, where FTR and The Young Bucks were defeated by The Lucha Bros and The Butcher and The Blade. In July 2020, after two months of appearances without official contracts, Harwood and Wheeler signed multi-year deals with AEW.
On the August 12 Dynamite episode, FTR hosted "Tag Team Appreciation Night," inviting legends like Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, as well as The Rock 'n' Roll Express. However, after a scuffle involving Tully Blanchard and Ricky Morton, FTR attacked The Rock 'n' Roll Express, turning heel in the process. The following week, FTR recruited Blanchard as their manager and defeated Private Party. On the August 27 Dynamite episode, FTR defeated The Natural Nightmares, Best Friends, and The Young Bucks in a Gauntlet match to earn an AEW World Tag Team Championship match at All Out. At All Out on September 5, they defeated Omega and Page to capture the titles, making them the first team to have held tag team titles in both AEW and WWE.
FTR successfully defended their AEW World Tag Team Championship against teams like Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy (from Jurassic Express) on September 16, 2020, and SCU (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky) on September 30. They continued their successful title defenses against Hybrid2 on October 7 and Best Friends on October 14. However, on November 7, 2020, at Full Gear, FTR lost their titles to The Young Bucks in a match where manager Tully Blanchard was banned from ringside.
On the March 10, 2021, Dynamite episode, FTR and Blanchard attacked The Inner Circle alongside MJF, Wardlow, and Shawn Spears, forming a new stable named The Pinnacle. After The Pinnacle eventually dissolved, FTR turned face again after siding with MJF's rival, CM Punk.
3.3.2. Multi-promotional Tag Team Championship reigns
FTR made a surprise appearance at ROH's Final Battle event on December 11, 2021, attacking the newly crowned ROH World Tag Team Champions, The Briscoe Brothers. This set up a highly anticipated match between the two teams at Supercard of Honor XV on April 1, 2022. FTR won the match and became ROH World Tag Team Champions for the first time.
On October 16, 2021, during a special episode of Dynamite, FTR, disguised as luchadors known as Las Super Ranas (The Super Frogs), defeated The Lucha Brothers to win the AAA World Tag Team Championship for the first time.
On June 26, 2022, FTR added the IWGP Tag Team Championship from New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) to their collection when they won a three-way winner-takes-all tag team match against IWGP Champions United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) and Roppongi Vice (Rocky Romero & Trent Beretta) at AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door. This victory made FTR triple champions, simultaneously holding the AAA, ROH, and IWGP tag team titles.
At Death Before Dishonor on July 23, 2022, FTR successfully defended their ROH Tag Team Championships against The Briscoes in a two out of three falls match. FTR made their first IWGP Tag Team Championship defense on night one of Royal Quest II on October 1, defeating Aussie Open in the main event. However, FTR subsequently lost their triple championships: the ROH titles at Final Battle to The Briscoes in a Dog Collar match in December 2022, the AAA titles to Dralistico and Dragon Lee at AAA Noche de Campeones on December 29, 2022, and the IWGP Tag Team Championships to Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI) at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4, 2023, ending their reign at 192 days.
After their return at Revolution in March 2023, FTR defeated The Gunns on the April 5 Dynamite to win the AEW World Tag Team Championships for the second time. FTR successfully defended their titles against various teams, including Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett at Double or Nothing, The Young Bucks at All In, and Aussie Open at WrestleDream. FTR lost the titles to Big Bill and Ricky Starks on the October 7 episode of Collision.
In 2024, FTR began a feud with Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli of the Blackpool Combat Club, with Moxley and Castagnoli defeating FTR at the Revolution event in March. In April 2024, FTR participated in a tournament to determine the next AEW World Tag Team Champions, losing to The Young Bucks in a ladder match in the finals at Dynasty. FTR continued their feud with The Young Bucks through the summer, facing them in May at Double or Nothing in an Anarchy in the Arena match and in August at All In in a three-way tag team match for the tag titles, also involving The Acclaimed. Both matches resulted in defeats for FTR. In late 2024, FTR resumed their feud with the Blackpool Combat Club, now known as the Death Riders. On December 28 at Worlds End, FTR, along with Cope, appeared after the main event and took out the Death Riders, forming a new trio named "Rated FTR."
3.4. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2022-2023)
Following their victory at AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, FTR made their first appearance for New Japan Pro-Wrestling at Music City Mayhem on July 30, 2022, where they teamed with Alex Zayne in a losing effort against United Empire's Aussie Open and T. J. Perkins. After the match, Aussie Open challenged FTR for the IWGP Tag Team Championships. FTR made their first IWGP Tag Team Championship defense on night one of Royal Quest II on October 1, defeating Aussie Open in the main event. Their reign as IWGP Tag Team Champions ended at 192 days on January 4, 2023, at Wrestle Kingdom 17, when they lost the titles to Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI).
4. Wrestling style and signature moves
David Michael Harwood is known for his rugged, classic tag team wrestling style, emphasizing technical proficiency and a hard-hitting approach. His in-ring work focuses on wear-down tactics, limb targeting, and precise execution of maneuvers, often with his tag team partner.
4.1. Finishing moves
Harwood employs several key finishing maneuvers:
- Modified Fisherman's DDT: Performed by lifting an opponent into a fisherman's suplex position, then dropping them into a DDT, spiking them on their head. This became a primary finisher for his singles matches after his Raw promotion.
- Spinebuster: A powerful move where he lifts an opponent and slams them down on their back. This was a finisher during his time in NXT.
- Reverse Figure-Four Leglock: A submission hold targeting the opponent's leg, turning the traditional Figure-four leglock into a reverse version.
- Inverted Figure-Four: An advanced variation of the Figure-Four, where he captures the opponent's left leg while they are supine, steps over it, crosses his right leg over theirs in a figure-four style, and then rotates himself and the opponent to apply pressure to the left leg. This is also used as a standalone finisher.
4.2. Signature moves
Harwood incorporates a variety of striking and throwing techniques into his repertoire:
- Throwing moves**:
- Slingshot Sit-Out Powerbomb: A dynamic move where he lifts an opponent onto his shoulders, spins them towards the top rope, and uses the momentum to sit out and drive them into the mat.
- Slingshot Suplex: A suplex maneuver utilizing the ropes for added leverage or impact.
- Superplex: A high-impact suplex executed from the top rope.
- Flapjack: An offensive move where he throws an opponent face-first onto the mat or turnbuckle.
- Submission moves**:
- Indian Deathlock: A painful leg submission where he twists the opponent's legs into a pretzel-like configuration.
- Striking moves**:
- Elbow / Elbow Stamp / Back Elbow: Various forms of elbow strikes, often used to create separation or incapacitate opponents.
- Backhand Chop: A stiff chop delivered with the back of the hand.
- Lariat / Short-arm Clothesline: Powerful clotheslines, including a short-arm variant that involves pulling the opponent close before delivering the strike.
4.3. Tag Team moves
As part of a tag team, Harwood utilizes several collaborative maneuvers with Cash Wheeler (or Dash Wilder):
- Mindbreaker / Spike Piledriver: A devastating tag team piledriver where Harwood lifts the opponent for a piledriver, and his partner grabs the opponent's legs to spike them head-first into the mat.
- Big Rig / Shatter Machine / Goodnight Express: A signature tag team finisher. Harwood lifts the opponent in a flapjack position, and his partner jumps and drives their knees into the opponent's face as Harwood drops them, creating a double-knee facebreaker type of impact. This move was known as Shatter Machine in WWE and Goodnight Express in early AEW.
5. Personal life
David Harwood has been married to Maria Nickopoulos since 2012. They have one daughter, Finley Gray, who was born in 2014. Harwood has shared personal reflections on his career, notably stating in a May 2020 interview that his all-time favorite match was a two-out-of-three falls match between The Revival and American Alpha at a live event, while his favorite on-screen match was The Revival's two-out-of-three falls match against #DIY at NXT TakeOver: Toronto in 2016. He expressed pride in that match, calling it The Revival's legacy in WWE. In November 2020, he described FTR's match with The Young Bucks at Full Gear as a "dream match," acknowledging the pressure that "makes diamonds." Following that match, he praised it on social media, hoping for a rematch. On April 4, 2022, Harwood further stated that FTR's match against The Briscoe Brothers at Supercard of Honor XV was the best match of FTR's career, describing it as "their masterpiece."
6. Other media
Harwood has appeared as a playable character in several WWE video games. He made his video game debut in WWE 2K17. He has since been featured in WWE 2K18, WWE 2K19, and WWE 2K20.
7. Entrance themes
- Darkside of TR
- Southern Proud
- Down South
- Bad Attitude
8. Championships and accomplishments
David Michael Harwood has accumulated numerous championships and accolades throughout his professional wrestling career, particularly as a dominant force in tag team divisions across various promotions.
8.1. Titles
- All Elite Wrestling
- AEW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Cash Wheeler
- Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide
- AAA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Cash Wheeler
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- IWGP Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Cash Wheeler
- ACPW
- ACPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Ring of Honor
- ROH World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Cash Wheeler
- WWE
- WWE 24/7 Championship (1 time) - with Dash Wilder (co-champion)
- WWE Raw Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Dash Wilder
- WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Dash Wilder
- NXT Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Dash Wilder
- First WWE Tag Team Triple Crown Champion - with Dash Wilder
8.2. Awards and achievements
- The Baltimore Sun
- WWE Tag Team of the Year (2016) - with Dash Wilder
- ESPN
- Tag Team of the Year (2023) - with Cash Wheeler
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Tag Team of the Year (2022) - with Cash Wheeler
- Ranked No. 103 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2019
- Sports Illustrated
- Ranked No. 8 of the top 10 wrestlers in 2022
- WWE
- NXT Year-End Award (2 times)
- Match of the Year (2016) - with Dash Wilder vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) in a two-out-of-three falls match for the NXT Tag Team Championship at NXT TakeOver: Toronto
- Tag Team of the Year (2016) - with Dash Wilder
- NXT Year-End Award (2 times)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Feud of the Year (2022) - vs. The Briscoes
- Tag Team of the Year (2022, 2023)
9. Legacy and influence
David Michael Harwood has significantly impacted the professional wrestling industry through his contributions to tag team wrestling, particularly as half of The Revival and later FTR. His commitment to a grounded, technically sound, and hard-hitting style, often referred to as "no flips, just fists," has garnered critical acclaim from fans and peers alike. He is widely regarded as a proponent of traditional tag team wrestling, bringing a focus on intricate strategies, seamless double-team maneuvers, and storytelling within the confines of a tag match.
His partnership with Cash Wheeler as FTR has been lauded for consistently delivering high-quality matches, earning them multiple "Tag Team of the Year" awards from reputable publications like Pro Wrestling Illustrated and Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Their series of matches against The Young Bucks in AEW and The Briscoe Brothers in ROH are frequently cited as some of the best tag team contests in recent memory, with Harwood himself calling their match against The Briscoes at Supercard of Honor XV "their masterpiece." These matches have elevated the perception and prestige of tag team wrestling within the industry, influencing a new generation of tag teams to emphasize realism and psychology over high-flying acrobatics. Harwood's career demonstrates a dedication to the craft, earning him a strong standing among fellow wrestlers and fans as one of the premier tag team performers of his generation.