Cash Wheeler nearly retired following 2023 arrest for aggravated assault

For the first time, FTR member Cash Wheeler has spoken publicly about his July 2023 arrest in Florida for aggravated assault with a firearm, the measures he went through to prove his innocence, and how he nearly called it quits after it happened.

Speaking alongside Dax Harwood to Renee Paquette for AEW Close Up, Wheeler said he had a very rough patch in his life from the period in which he learned out about the arrest warrant through this past May when it was dismissed “as it should have been” according to Wheeler.

He said he couldn’t think about life after May because everything hinged on what was to come, but he refused to take any plea deal or even a reduced charge as he felt he wasn’t guilty — all while knowing if a jury found him guilty, that would mean up to a maximum of five years in prison if the judge felt that was fit.

Wheeler was alleged to have flashed a handgun at another person during a road rage incident on July 27, 2023, A warrant for his arrest was filed the following day. According to county records, he pled not guilty through a lawyer on August 3 and turned himself in on August 5 to Orlando police. The case was dismissed on May 13 of this year.

Wheeler also said that if he pled to a reduced charge, his AEW career would have gone away, he would likely be unable to leave the country, and “everything I ever worked for over something that never happened” would be gone. He went into every match they had in that aforementioned time frame thinking that it could be their last.

Wheeler said he didn’t learn of the arrest warrant until a week or so after it was issued as he was never arrested, nor did anyone come to his home and search it. He said there was no witnesses, no pictures and no video — just a single person’s statement. He told Hardwood and AEW’s HR team, but did not tell anyone in his family early on.

He said the person in charge of the warrant disappeared for weeks, he was unable to get answers from anyone, and couldn’t pursue the case despite the fact a warrant was out for his arrest. Once he made the connection, they worked things out for when he would be taken in and he then told his immediate family members on the way to the arrest.

He was fully processed and handcuffed and while taken en route to the courthouse, Wheeler said the officers in the car wanted to talk wrestling, but he wasn’t interested at that time in chatting about Ricky Steamboat’s career.

Harwood said Wheeler came to him with the news and revealed his partner even considered retiring and living in his “little cabin in the woods” so Harwood could move on with his career. Harwood said he had to talk him out of it, later joking when Wheeler first approached him, he thought he was about to be told he drank too much.

Harwood went onto say that he was both afraid for his friend and their team, but after they worked against the Young Bucks at August 2023’s All In, he knew things would be ok due to the fan reaction.

Wheeler said it was hard to come into work and that he is sure there were things his co-workers might have whispered about the situation as it was progressing, but he tried not to waste too much time on it as he knew he was innocent.

He said he paid thousands of dollars for a lie detector test in Tampa, Florida, that he passed, equating the setup to a “Meet The Parents” situation from the famous comedy movie. Even though he couldn’t use the results in a trial, he did it just to further prove his innocence.

Wheeler and Harwood will be in action on this Saturday’s AEW Collision.