Last month, AEW star Cash Wheeler, one-half of AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR, was allegedly involved in an incident that saw him produce a handgun aggressively on the road during a disagreement with another driver. The news broke weeks later – after AEW had already booked Wheeler in a major match on their upcoming All In pay-per-view. Speaking to Sports Illustrated ahead of Sunday’s event, Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks commented on Wheeler’s situation for the first time.
“Any time distractions happen beyond your control, it’s a bit frustrating,” Jackson stated. “But we have a task at hand, and we plan on delivering.”
For the Young Bucks, that task at hand is clear – onscreen, the brothers want to win the AEW World Tag Team Championships. Behind the curtain, both the Jackson brothers as well as Wheeler and Dax Harwood of FTR want to help put on the best show possible. Wheeler’s real-life controversy is certainly an unwelcome distraction days ahead of the biggest match of all four men’s careers.
Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite saw a pre-taped interview featuring both teams, and tensions ran expectedly high. The company later posted an extended cut of the interview to X, showing Harwood growing angry at Matt Jackson’s suggestion that they named FTR on the Bucks’ YouTube show, Being The Elite.
With a warrant out for his arrest, Wheeler turned himself in to Orange County authorities in the Orlando, Florida area on August 18. Wheeler was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, a third-degree felony that could possibly include time in jail or prison. Despite these legal troubles, the tag team bout is scheduled to go on as originally planned, with Wheeler being allowed to keep his passport. Haus of Wrestling reported last week that at least some high-level AEW officials were taken by surprise by the news of Wheeler’s arrest, and AEW co-owner Tony Khan later confirmed that he’d only had a short time to learn about the news despite the incident allegedly occurring on July 28.