Dax Harwood has never been reluctant to state FTR’s place in the modern tag team hierarchy, and the arrival of The New Level in AEW has given him another opportunity to make that case.
Following The New Level’s AEW debut at All In 2026, Harwood discussed the prospect of once again sharing a ring with Austin Creed and Kofi. The teams bring substantial history with them, including a memorable first match, a range of subsequent encounters, and a ladder match that Harwood still considers one of the best bouts of his career.
That background makes a potential AEW meeting more than a first-time attraction. It is a renewal of a rivalry between two teams that have each spent years making their case as elite representatives of tag team wrestling. Harwood’s message, however, was unmistakable: he sees FTR as the standard The New Level must now try to reach.
“Of course. Any match that is a big money match for me at this stage in my career is a match I’m looking forward to,” Harwood said. “The New Level, we have a checkered past with that team, with those guys. We had a pretty memorable debut against those guys and a bunch of different kind of matches.”
For more background on this topic, read Dax Harwood Welcomes AEW’s 2026 Additions, Says Growth Must Remain the Goal.
The New Level made their All Elite Wrestling debuts at All In 2026, joining Swerve Strickland in a successful Trios Championship victory. Later in the same night, Creed and Kofi were involved in a confrontation that placed them in the ring with several of AEW’s leading tag teams. The segment immediately created questions about their eventual direction in the division and whether a showdown with FTR could become one of AEW’s marquee tag team programs.
Harwood clearly views it that way. The FTR wrestler did not frame a match with The New Level merely as a nostalgic revisit to prior competition. Instead, he positioned it as a high-level, high-stakes match that could mean significant business at this stage of his and Cash Wheeler’s careers.
A Rivalry Built on a Shared Past
Harwood’s reference to a “checkered past” speaks to the depth of the teams’ history. FTR and the duo now known as The New Level have crossed paths in major matches before, allowing fans to become familiar with the contrasts in their styles and personalities. FTR have long centered their identity on crisp mechanics, physical control, old-school tag rules, and an insistence that tag team wrestling be treated with the same seriousness as any main-event discipline.
Creed and Kofi bring their own accomplished reputation into AEW. Their arrival immediately adds another established pairing to a promotion where the tag division has frequently been a defining feature. The fact that they debuted together, captured the Trios Championships alongside Strickland, and then found themselves face-to-face with prominent teams all in one night underlined that their introduction was designed to matter.
For Harwood, the previous meetings are part of what makes the prospective contest so appealing. He singled out one particular match as especially meaningful.
“Even one of my favorite matches of all time was the ladder match we had with those guys,” Harwood said.
That admission offers a reminder that FTR’s confidence is not rooted in dismissing their potential opponents. Harwood acknowledged the quality of the team across the ring and the significance of what they have already created together. At the same time, respect has not softened his competitive stance. If anything, it has raised his expectation for what another match could become.
A rivalry works best when both sides have a credible claim to greatness, and Harwood directly addressed that shared legacy. He said The New Level were once widely viewed as the best tag team in the world. In his eyes, though, the landscape has changed in the seven years since the teams’ earlier clashes.
FTR’s Claim to the Top Spot
Harwood presented FTR’s case with the confidence fans have come to expect from him. He believes he and Wheeler have established themselves as the greatest tag team in the world, a status he says puts The New Level in the position of challengers entering FTR’s environment.
“But this is 2026, seven years later,” Harwood said. “FTR has established themselves as the greatest tag team in the world, and at one time, (The) New Level was the greatest tag team in the world, and now they can be happy to sit at number two.”
The comment is equal parts provocation and promotion. Harwood is setting the terms for any eventual collision: this is not simply two decorated teams meeting on neutral ground. In his view, The New Level are arriving in a company where FTR have already become central figures in the tag team conversation.
That is an important distinction in AEW, where the tag division has historically been filled with teams looking to establish identity, momentum, and championship relevance. A match involving FTR and The New Level would bring immediate star power while also carrying a natural question at its core. Can The New Level translate their past standing and their successful All In arrival into a new era of dominance, or will FTR’s belief in their own supremacy be validated?
Harwood has no doubt about his answer. He stated that tag team wrestling is the arena in which he and Wheeler “reign supreme,” describing The New Level’s AEW move as an entrance into FTR’s world.
“Because right now, tag team wrestling is where myself and Cash, we reign supreme, and they’re coming into our world,” Harwood said. “And I look forward to them testing themselves against the greatest of all time.”
What a Match Could Mean in AEW
There is no announced match between FTR and The New Level at this time, but Harwood’s remarks make clear that he would welcome one. The ingredients are already apparent. There is history between the teams, a fresh setting in AEW, a major debut that immediately resulted in championship success for Creed and Kofi, and an outspoken challenge from one half of FTR.
There is also the matter of timing. Harwood described big-money matches as especially attractive at this point in his career. That does not lessen the competitive motivation; rather, it emphasizes that FTR see a confrontation with The New Level as one that could carry substantial importance for both the audience and the competitors involved.
AEW has given The New Level an immediate role through their Trios Championship win with Strickland, while the post-match and in-ring interactions at All In opened the door for future tag team issues. The exact path from that debut to a bout with FTR remains uncertain. The New Level’s championship responsibilities, Strickland’s involvement, and the larger field of AEW teams could all influence how quickly such a match develops.
Still, Harwood’s comments ensure that the possibility is now firmly part of the discussion. He did not merely offer a polite welcome to two familiar rivals. He challenged them to prove themselves against the team he believes stands above everyone else.
Respect, Competition, and a New Chapter
The strongest rivalries often have a balance of genuine appreciation and sharp competitive edge. Harwood’s comments contained both. He recognized the memorable matches FTR have had with Creed and Kofi, including a ladder match he ranks among his personal favorites. But he also made it clear that memories do not determine the present.
Seven years have passed since the period Harwood referenced, and both teams have added new chapters to their careers. The New Level have now entered AEW with instant championship momentum. FTR remain determined to define the promotion’s tag team landscape on their own terms.
Whether that collision happens soon or develops over time, Harwood has already supplied the central narrative. The New Level may have been regarded as the best in the world before. FTR believe that distinction belongs to them now.
For fans of tag team wrestling, that is a simple but compelling foundation: two decorated duos, an established history, a new promotion-wide stage, and a dispute over who deserves to be called the greatest. Harwood is ready for The New Level to take the test. Just as importantly, he is convinced FTR will be the team administering it.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.