Swerve Strickland Articles - Page 2

In April, Swerve Strickland and Damian Priest became World Champions in their respective promotions, with the former defeating Samoa Joe at Dynasty to become the AEW World Champion and the latter cashing in his Money in the Bank contract to unseat Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 40 to become the World Heavyweight Champion. Since then, both […]

For the second time this weekend, one of professional wrestling’s Big 2 promotions is holding a Premium Live Event, with AEW looking to top an unusual King and Queen of the Ring showcase in Saudi Arabia with one of its signature events, Double or Nothing. Soon, fans in Las Vegas and beyond will get to […]

With Double or Nothing 2024 rapidly approaching, one would think Swevre Strickland would be focused on the task at hand, defending his AEW World Championship against Christian Cage and the Patriarchy in Las Vegas this Memorial Day weekend. And yet, in an interview with Adrian Hernandez, Strickland wanted to set aside a few minutes to […]

When Swerve Strickland debuted for AEW a few months after his exit from WWE, few expected to eventually see the former cruiserweight Hit Row leader bulk up to become a legit heavyweight contender, officially securing the AEW World Championship in a win over Samoa Joe in the main event of Dynasty. From the ups of […]

After advertising for their in-ring showdown for the entire first hour of Dynamite, AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland marched down to the ring at the top of the second hour to address the crowd, and believe you me, he was mad. Trashing on Christian Cage for how he landed a world title shot at Double […]

When Swerve Strickland shouted out Kofi Kingston during his AEW Dynasty media scrum, noting that KofiMania was a big influence on his professional wrestling career, it was a very nice moment. Sure, Strickland worked hard to get where he wanted to be, forgoing opportunities at other belts for his shot at the AEW World Championship, but […]

When news broke that Will Ospreay was heading to free agency and open to signing a huge money deal with an American promotion, be that AEW or WWE, fans the world over, from his hometown of Rainham, Essex, England, to Japan and beyond had a pretty good feeling that the former has the favorite to […]

With the former NXT North American Champion heavily favored to win the AEW World Championship at Dynasty, fans knew Swerve Strickland would make a serious impression with his debut on the show, but when he emerged from the babyface tunnel wearing a full Killmonger bodysuit from Black Panther, it made an already special moment into […]

When referee Stephon Smith tapped the 1-2-3 on the mat in the main event of Dynasty, AEW officially had a new World Champion in Swerve Strickland… or was it Kofi Kingston, the man R-Truth thought lifted up the belt in the culmination of his life-long dream? Confusing? If anyone else said it yes, yes, it […]

With one of the biggest lead-ins in AEW Collision history coming off of the Boston Celtics-Miami Heat NBA Playoff game, “Neck brace” Tony Khan booked his AEW World Champion, Swerve Strickland, to cut his first promo with the belt in the opening segment of the show. Needless to say, it was a doozy. “Man, oh […]

When Grayson Waller commented to Going Ringside on SmackDown’s return to Jacksonville for an upcoming show, letting fans know that he was excited by declaring “Finally, some good wrestling in Jacksonville. I feel like it’s been years since we’ve seen some really good wrestling in Jacksonville. That’s what we’re bringing back,” it rubbed plenty of […]

After securing a massive win in the main event of AEW Dynasty, the fourth title change on the card after Willow Nightingale beat Julia Hart, Chris Jericho beat Hook, and the Young Bucks beat FTR, Swerve Strickland was on top of the world in St. Louis and eager to celebrate his accomplishment at the media […]

Welp folks, it’s official: Swerve Strickland has accomplished his dream and become the first-ever African American AEW World Champion. That’s right, after pushing for this goal for years now, opting by his own admission against pursuing any mid-card titles in the pursuit of the top belt in AEW, Strickland can now bask in the glory […]

After watching two of the best AEW matches you will see in Will Ospreay versus Bryan Danielson and Young Bucks versus FTR IV, Swerve Strickland was afforded a chance to enter the ring with Samoa Joe for the second time in as many months to take a shot at the AEW World Championship, this time […]

For the first time in professional wrestling history, AEW will be holding Dynasty, a brand new Pay-Per-View being broadcast live from St. Louis, Missouri, to fans worldwide across multiple providers. In a matter of hours, fans will get to see not one, not two, but six of AEW’s official titles get defended live and on […]

After months and months of feuding with Adam Page, with the duo going to war on multiple occasions, including an absolutely incredibly Pay-Per-View Texas Death match at Full Gear in Los Angeles and a three-way match at Revolution that saw the “Hangman” get suspended for attacking a referee, Swerve Strickland finally gets to test his […]

After having their last AEW World Championship match decided under triple-threat rules, with “Hangman” Adam Page playing a major part in the ultimate finish of the match, Swerve Strickland and Samoa Joe finally get to settle things one-on-one at AEW Dynasty in St. Louis, with the winner truly getting to take all at the culmination […]

Before CM Punk was debuting at Survivor Series, feuding with Seth Rollins, and getting placed on the shelf by Drew McIntyre at the Royal Rumble, the “Best in the World” was a member of AEW, where he was feuding with Samoa Joe as the focal point of Collision. And who, you may ask, was the […]

At the end of the penultimate match of AEW Revolution 2024, the Three-Way bout for the AEW World Championship, Swerve Strickland did something pretty much unprecedented for his current character: he put honor over an easy win. That’s right, as the match was winding down, ‘The Realest’ had a chance to ice out his opponent […]

When news broke that the co-main event of AEW Revolution was going to be a three-way match for the AEW World Champion between incumbent Samoa Joe, “Hangman” Adam Page, and Swerve Strickland, many felt the match was the Moguel Embassey leader’s to lose. On paper, it made sense, right? Swerve is about as popular as […]

As the professional wrestling world eagerly anticipates the expected Big Business debut of Mercedes Mone in “Bo$$ton,” there’s a segment of the IWC who is equally disapointed by the fact that Sasha Banks, one of the Four Worsewomen of WWE’s Women Revolution, will not be returning to RAW or SmackDown any time soon, if ever. […]

It’s here, it’s finally here, AEW fans: Revolution 2024. Soon, some 15,000 strong in Greensboro, North Carolina, will see Sting, Ric Flair, and Darby Allin step into the ring together for one final time as they face off against AEW’s EVPs, the Young Bucks, in addition to eight more matches, plus two on the preshow, […]

After a short-term Adam Page fakeout nearly changed the AEW World Championship picture heading into Revolution, the card remains unchanged heading the biggest show of the month: Samoa Joe will face off against the “Hangman” and Swerve Strickland to see who comes out of Greensboro, North Carolina with the promotion’s top title around their waist. […]

When Paul “Triple H” Levesque took over creative in 2022 and began rehiring many of the performers he helped to cultivate during his time running NXT, some felt as though it was only a matter of time before Swerve Strickland rejoined the rest of his Hit Row members in WWE. On paper, it made sense, […]

It’s hard to look at 2023 as anything but a breakout year for Swerve Strickland. From forming the Mogul Embassy, forged an incredible feud with “Hangman” Adam Page that culminated in an all-time great Texas Death match at Full Gear in Los Angeles and was the least-pinned man in the Continental Classic, even if that […]

Heading into AEW Dynamite in Orlando, Florida, no one wanted to win the Gold League and punch his ticket to Worlds End more than Swerve Strickland. He had a bone to pick with Jon Moxley, a win over “Switchblade” Jay White, and a burning desire to prove he’s one of the top wrestlers in the […]

After punching his ticket to the “playoffs” of the Continental Classic on AEW Dynamite, securing a commanding win over Rush to finish out the tournament with a 4-1 record as part of the Gold League, Swerve Strickland was feeling good, as he was just one pin away from punching his ticket to Worlds End for […]

When Tony Khan announced the field for the 2023 Continental Classic, there was one match above all others that fans circled on the golden bracket: Swerve Strickland versus Jon Moxley. Suddenly, the hottest performer in AEW, fresh off one of the most incredible death matches you will see at Full Gear, was destined for a […]

When Swerve Strickland took the ring against “Hangman” Adam Page for his instant classic Texas Death by way of Inglewood, California match at Full Gear, fans noticed a very specific striped pattern on his gear that looked eerily similar to the one previously worn by Bray Wyatt during his time in WWE as The Fiend. […]

Though Swerve Strickland is currently on top of the world as one of the hottest young stars in AEW, with a perfect record in the Continental Classic and a legitimate push from fans of the promotion to get some gold around his waist stat, there was a time when the “Realist” was really struggling to […]

What’s the best part of the recent oldhead Hall of Famer podcast boom? Listening to legit WWE legends like Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, and the Busted Open Radio crew discuss decidedly non-WWE matches like “Hangman” Adam Page’s Texas Death match against Swerve Strickland at AEW Full Gear. While WWE would never, ever, ever allow a […]

On November 2nd, a few short weeks before his match against “Hangman” Adam Page at AEW Full Gear, Swerve Strickland posted on social media that “this industry needs a ‘Mick Foley.‘” Now granted, technically, the industry already has a Mick Foley in Mick Foley, the 58-year-old WWE Hall of Famer who is not only alive […]

As reporters waited in the bowels of the Kia Forum waiting to AEW’s Full Gear media scrum to start, all anyone could talk about was the Texas Death match between Swerve Strickland and “Hangman” Adam Page and how it stacked up to the comprehensive works of the biggest legend of the hardcore game, Mick Foley. […]

After securing the signature W of his professional wrestling career at Full Gear, winning what fans and Dave Meltzer alike have called a five-star classic worthy of being called the greatest Texas Death match in AEW history, Swerve Strickland was feeling himself. Granted, he didn’t address the audience at the end of the match or […]

On a card loaded up with title bouts and grudge matches, the bout that rose above the rest at AEW Full Gear was none other than the Texas Death battle between “Hangman” Adam Page and Swerve Strickland. Fighting more so than feuding in an increasingly contentious contest of will that saw Strickland literally break into […]

After securing a massive win over “Hangman” Adam Page at WrestleDream, Swerve Strickland is gearing up for his biggest match yet, facing off against the “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson on one of the biggest television shows of the year, when Dynamite runs opposite NXT for a special edition of Title Tuesday. Discussing the forthcoming ratings […]

When Swerve Strickland jumped ship from WWE to AEW following his and the rest of Hit Row’s release from the SmackDown roster in 2021, excitement was intense. After turning himself into a legitimate star in NXT both as a singles star and with his band of buddies under the watchful eye of Paul “Triple H: […]

If Sting wanted to call it a career at All In, he had everything set up to say goodbye to the AEW Galaxy. Almost three years after his return at Winter is Coming in 2020, Sting took to the ring alongside his best friend, Darby Allin, to his old WCW song, “Seek and Destroy” by […]

When WWE announced that they were releasing Hit Row and its leader, now known as Swerve Strickland, back in November of 2021, it left more than a few fans of professional wrestling – Swerve included – wondering why WWE was so quick to pull the plug on such a popular NXT act, especially right after […]