Swerve Strickland has become one of AEW’s most popular characters since the start of 2019, and he’s not even signed until 2022. He was a decorated champion even before joining the company, holding gold in multiple promotions such as CZW, wXw, DEFY, MLW, “WWE NXT” and much more.
A: recent interview with BillboardStrickland spoke about his career as a professional wrestler as well as a rapper and hip-hop artist, two professions in which he continues to grow and find new success. He told the paper that when future generations look back on his wrestling career, they will see that his in-ring ability took him far.
“I’m not a caricature of hip-hop, and I’m not a caricature of a black wrestler,” Strickland said. “I am me. My success in pro wrestling really comes down to my ability in the ring. It’s not because they’re trying to push an agenda, it’s because I’m performing at a really, really high level.
Strickland said there were many black talents who once became “household names” in wrestling, such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Booker T. He said it was because of who they had to compete against, like Shawn Michaels and the Eddie Guerreros of the wrestling world. He still feels like he competes at the highest level of anyone in AEW.
“Me and Okada. Me and Kenny (Omega). Me and (Will) Osprey. Me and the Executioner (Adam Page),” he said. “I have to be as clean and honest as possible and achieve it because of real ability, not just to sign.”
