Though there are plenty of alternatives in the professional wrestling world, with some premier young stars like Darby Allin and El Soberano Jr. opting to stick with promotions like AEW and CMLL over pursuing outside ventures, for many, WWE is still the end-all, be-all of the sport.
They have the biggest shows, the highest pay, and can get a wrestler in front of the most eyes possible; if you are a premier talent in professional wrestling, with main event appeal and sky-high talent, securing a spot on RAW, SmackDown, or even NXT is a tough gig to pass up, even if they routinely promote from within, instead of pushing outside stars in a major way.
One such talent who, despite coming up through the NXT developmental system, is firmly siding with Allin and Cabanaro is ex-AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland, who, during an appearance on The Breakfast Club, let it be known that he's very happy where he is, thank you very much.
“Nah, I'm happy building AEW. I'm happy building myself in AEW. AEW has given me something that I don't think WWE could ever give me. I'm really proud of that, and I wave the flag proudly because Tony Khan didn't take a chance on me; he knew what he wanted from me,” Strickland explained via Fightful. “He put me in the position and said, ‘Now grow.' ‘What avenues do I have to grow?' ‘Whatever you want.' There were no parameters, no red tape. I learned how to become a true businessman on top of being a professional wrestler. That's why the mogul persona is truly personified in AEW. It let me be my best self as a man and a professional.”
On paper, if Strickland made the jump back to WWE, his star power would likely take a major jump, with the potential for a Cody Rhodes-esque push as a returning star who elevated his game from mid-level WWE performer who wasn't even going to be the top star in his faction – Vince McMahon always preferred Top Dolla over Strickland due to his size and NFL pedigree – to a legit main event caliber talent, with a run with the United States Championship or the Intercontinental Championship the bare minimum for his ceiling. Still, even if he could maybe be a contender for World Champion in WWE doesn't necessarily mean that's the path he wants to take. Why? Because, as Strickland mentioned in an interview with QUEENZFLIP, Tony Khan pretty much lets him do whatever he wants, including announcing that AEW has reached new deals with Fox and Warner Brothers Discovery weeks before the official announcement.
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