AEW's Dax Harwood Names Moment In History That Made Him Want To Be A Wrestler

Long before he laced up his own pair of wrestling boots, a young Dax Harwood dedicated much of his time to following the stories and careers of the Golden and New Generation era stars of the WWF. One name that particularly caught the attention of Harwood was Bret "The Hitman" Hart, whom Harwood has openly praised, both professionally and personally. In 1993, though, those avenues intersected, as an eight-year-old Harwood found himself thoroughly entranced by a series of Hart performances, so much so that he used later it as motivation to pursue a professional wrestling career.

As pointed out on the X (formerly Twitter) platform, June 13 marked the 31-year anniversary of the 1993 King of the Ring pay-per-view. Like its titular title suggests, this event primarily revolved around that year's King of the Ring tournament, which pitted 15 of the company's top stars against one another. After four rounds of intense competition, Bret Hart emerged as the winner of the tournament, and the inspiration behind an 8-year-old's dream.

"The night I decided I wanted to be a pro wrestler when I grew up," Harwood wrote on X.

The night I decided I wanted to be a pro wrestler when I grew up. https://t.co/22uW5OJs2P

— Uncle Dax FTR (@DaxFTR) June 13, 2024

Hart's 1993 King of the Ring journey began with a first-round bye, followed by a hard-fought victory against Razor Ramon in the quarterfinals. Moving into the semi-finals, Hart faced, and defeated, a fellow Intercontinental Champion in the form of Mr. Perfect. Then, in the main event of the King of the Ring event, Hart claimed the coveted crown with a win over Bam Bam Bigelow.

Three decades later, Harwood is keeping the spirit of Hart alive by incorporating the Sharpshooter — Hart's signature submission move — into some of his own matches.