The 2024 Grand Slam edition of "AEW Dynamite" at Arthur Ashe Stadium marked the end of an era in some ways as HOOK, following his victory over Roderick Strong, decided to retire the FTW Championship. HOOK won the belt back from Chris Jericho at All In London, and in the same city where the belt was born, Queens, New York, he chose to hand the title back to the man who created it, his father, Taz.
During a recent edition of "Busted OpenAfter Dark," WWE Hall of Famer and ECW legend Bully Ray opened up about the history of the FTW Championship. He stated that he knew the moment of retiring the title in Queens would have meant a lot to Taz, whom he has known for over 30 years. The belt's association with Taz is also part of the reason why Ray is happy that it has been put out to pasture.
"I like how that story of that championship came full circle," Ray said. "I love it when you can connect the dots in pro wrestling, and everything made sense. If you're going to retire that championship, Queens is the place to do it, and I'm happy that the FTW Championship has been retired. I don't think the FTW Championship has a place in professional wrestling, unless it's on Taz's shoulder, that's where it belongs. I understand why they brought it back, I understand what they attempted to do with it, I understand the significance of HOOK, I like the fact that HOOK retired it, but that's Taz's championship and it was created for a very rebellious reason."
Taz brought back the championship to pro wrestling in 2020, with the title being held by the likes of Chris Jericho, Jack Perry, and Ricky Starks in its four years in AEW.
Please credit "Busted Open After Dark" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
