Daniel Wheeler a.k.a. Cash Wheeler spoke about his legal issue from last year where the AEW performer faced a charge of aggravated assault with a fireman.
Wheeler appeared with Dax Harwood on the latest edition of Close Up with Renee Paquette and spoke about the past year and going so far as to consider retiring from wrestling over the issue.
Wheeler was arrested in August 2023 and charged with aggravated assault with a firearm with the AEW performer entering a plea of “not guilty”. The charge is a third-degree felony in Florida.
In an affidavit released by the Orange County Clerk of Courts, the alleged victim accused Wheeler of weaving in and out of traffic and honking his horn. The person said for their safety, they pulled over to allow Wheeler to pass and that Wheeler took the right shoulder of the road to pass him and pointed a black semi-automatic handgun out of the driver’s window. The person making the accusation stated he felt in fear for his life and took a photo of the Jeep and identified Wheeler in a police photo lineup.
Wheeler was granted release after a $2,500 bond was posted with the restriction of having no contact with the accuser and surrendering any weapons he possessed. A trial was scheduled for this past May, however, the State of Florida opted not to pursue the charges, and the case was dropped earlier this year.
Wheeler went into detail with Paquette about the stress of the situation and said, “I couldn’t think of life beyond May” because of the looming trial date. He refused to take any plea deal or plead guilty to anything because he knew he was innocent. Wheeler said he was never pulled over, there was no search conducted, and the statement by the victim was all they had to go by.
Harwood disclosed that Wheeler was willing to retire and leave wrestling to avoid the unwanted attention attached to his tag partner, who has a separate contract with AEW.
Wheeler said that after he returned from London, England after All In 2023, he drove to Tampa and “paid thousands of dollars out of pocket” to take a polygraph test and he passed it in an attempt to take as many measures as possible to prove his innocence.
Wheeler informed Harwood and the HR department of AEW when he learned of the charge.
