New details on recent AEW return after 6-month absence

New details on recent AEW return after 6-month absence - Reports

Modified Apr 24, 2025 22:30 GMT

Image credit: AEW's official YouTube channel

AEW is rolling into the summer months with a big build for Double or Nothing. The company's tag team division has been gaining momentum, and the recent return of a popular manager could add even more spice to the mix.

Stokely Hathaway has been out of action for almost half a year. The former WWE star was primarily involved in the women's division before his absence, mixing it up with Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander. Now, he's taken over management duties for the villainous FTR, and a new report has shed some light on how that came together.

Fightful Select has indicated that plans for Stokely and FTR were being developed last year, with the manager moving away from the women's division and scouting tag teams before his hiatus. However, Fightful heard that plans changed around the time The Outrunners gained momentum, with the company choosing to put Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd with the then-babyface Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler.

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FTR ambushed WWE Hall of Famers on AEW Dynamite

Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler delved even further into villainy last night on AEW Dynamite. The two were recently suspended, and they wanted the chance to set the record straight with fans.

FTR called Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson, better known as the Rock 'n' Roll Express, out from the crowd and invited them to the ring. At first, Dax Harwood heaped praise on the WWE Hall of Famers, but when Stokely Hathaway revealed FTR's new t-shirt, which sported the tagline "Living Legend Killers," Harwood and Wheeler blindsided the legendary tag team.

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Stokely Hathaway has traditionally been a heel manager, although he's veered into comedic acts several times. It seems that he's now taken on a more serious role with FTR, but whether he'll be able to lead them back to the AEW World Tag Team Championship remains to be seen.

About the author

Jacob is an AEW contributor and editor at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He has edited and published over 8,000 articles for Sportskeeda Wrestling in just over two years, and subsequently donned the hat of a contributor, demonstrating his commitment to continuous learning. His experience goes beyond wrestling, with five years as an editor for several independent publishing houses and three years as a captioning specialist.

Jacob's first memory of pro wrestling dates back to Sting vs. Ric Flair for the World Heavyweight Championship at Great American Bash 1990. He later began writing for a newsletter and blog at the University of North Texas, and his love of wrestling naturally led him to seek opportunities in the media.

His favorite wrestler is The Icon, as he feels Sting has evolved throughout his career on a parallel path with his own growth as a person. He was Jacob's childhood hero and teenage idol, and now he makes him less afraid of getting older.

Jacob ensures relevance and accuracy in his articles by working hard to maintain his ideals and objectivity without sacrificing his unique voice, inspiring other writers in the section to follow suit.

Jacob’s non-wrestling interests include Anime, video games, and fantasy novels.

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Edited by Jacob Terrell