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The Best Champion in Pro Wrestling? Look No Further Than Swerve Strickland

“This feels like the alternative, and that was the whole point in the first place. That’s what this is.”

Justin Barrasso

SI.com’s Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath the surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.

Swerve Strickland: “This feels like the alternative, and that was the whole point in the first place. That’s what this is.”

Week after week, match by match, Swerve Strickland is making his case that he is the most compelling champion in professional wrestling.

The latest example occurred at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view. After a lengthy nine-match card, Strickland had the difficult task of stealing the show in the main event. Yet that is exactly what he and Will Ospreay combined to do, delivering a performance that ranks as the match of the year through the first six months of 2024.

An especially alluring part of the bout was the unknown. There was genuine intrigue over who would leave with the title, and it was a legitimate surprise when Strickland pinned Ospreay to retain the AEW world title.

“I’m proud of the story we told in that match,” said Strickland. “It was a perfect whirlwind. It was Will’s first main event pay-per-view in AEW, fans were waiting for it, and people didn’t know who was going to win. Was it Swerve’s time? Or was Will going to keep riding his hot streak and win the title? That’s a match we’ve wanted for a long time, and the timing was right.”

Prior to that bout, their most recent singles match took place in 2017. Strickland won that match in a closely contested affair, and the winner at Forbidden Door was especially difficult to predict. Ospreay, who is AEW International Champion, has been booked exceptionally strong since he signed full-time with the company. With the next pay-per-view taking place at Wembley Stadium, it would have made sense for Ospreay, who was born in London, to win the match and arrive at All In next month as world champion.

Instead, Strickland found a way to win, fighting with every ounce of his soul–just like he does outside the ring–to find a way to succeed.

“We weren’t waiting, we wanted this moment,” said Strickland. “We wanted to see the best–the International champ against the world champ. It was two forces facing off–the two best going at it.”

Strickland is hungry to prove he is the most elite champion in pro wrestling. A critical part of that takes place in the ring, but he also shines on the microphone.

That is the single greatest difference from his time in WWE to where he is now in AEW. It was never about opportunities in the ring–it was all about time on-screen.

“TV time, that’s an investment,” said Strickland. “Tony Khan gave me that. He gave me that with top talent. Top tag team talent. Top managerial talent. Rick Ross. Everywhere, all throughout the show. That’s what everyone wants, and Tony Khan offered that to me. When you don’t get that, it crushes your spirit. I could ask for a minute in a promo, and Tony would give it to me. That means more than people will ever know.”

Naturally, Strickland is compared to WWE champion Cody Rhodes. Both have cultivated extremely charismatic personas, but it would be a challenge for anyone–Rhodes included–to deliver the main event that Strickland did with Ospreay at Forbidden Door.

AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland
AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland / AEW

Strickland has a promo tonight on Dynamite, which represents another chance to further his connection with the masses.

“I pay attention to what everybody else is doing, but I don’t focus on it,” said Strickland. “My focus is being as unique and true to me as possible. I have to be true to me. That’s what allows me to stand out in a different way. And you don’t know what’s going to come next. That’s what is helping define my title reign. It feels very genuine, too.

“This feels like the alternative, and that was the whole point in the first place. That’s what this is.”

This is year no. 18 for Strickland in pro wrestling. Grind, sacrifice, and bloodshed were required for him to reach this point. He is never one to cut corners, and there are no shortcuts to the top of a promotion. Now that he is in the top spot, he intends to seize the moment.

“I’m engrossed in what I’m doing,” said Strickland. “For me, my success comes from staying true to what I’m doing.”

That formula has elevated Strickland to heights previously unknown. Later tonight, his opponent for All In will be announced–and then it is all systems go for AEW’s most significant show of the year.

And Strickland can’t wait to leave a lasting impression in the main event.

“There haven’t been too many African Americans to headline pay-per-views like this,” said Strickland. “That’s the biggest stage possible for All Elite Wrestling. It means a lot to me, and I hope it means a lot to a lot of other people.”

The (Online) Week in Wrestling

  • Rhea Ripley made her return to Raw, and the scene with Dom Mysterio following her was a throwback to Eddie Guerrero chasing after Chyna.
  • While we were watching Money in the Bank, MJF cut an excellent promo on Collision–turning his attention to Will Ospreay after his brutal attack last week on Daniel Garcia.
  • CM Punk and Seth Rollins were brilliant in the opening segment of Raw. I don’t know how the animosity from their interviews will transfer over to their matches, but it will be fun to find out.
  • Damian Priest’s title defense at Money in the Bank was marred by a spot where he didn’t kick out of a pin attempt by Seth Rollins. Fortunately, it was not ignored. Both Priest and Rollins mentioned it in very legitimate manner on Raw, mentioning that mistakes from a referee are part of all pro sports.
  • Chelsea Green’s ladder spot at Money in the Bank becomes more incredible each time you see it.
  • Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano have the chance to bring new life to the WWE tag titles. Also, after the trial and error period of the past few months, there should be only one set of tag champs, not two.
  • The Rascalz reuniting and the return of Joe Hendry were two highlights of last night’s NXT.
  • The annual Scenic City Invitational takes place this weekend, and it airs on IWTV. Scenic City promoter Scott Hensley expressed his excitement for the event, which is a staple on the indie scenes: “It’s an amazing mix of styles, experience levels, and past participants with new ones. We have former WWE star Paul London coming in for the whole weekend, as well former Bellator fighter Matt Makowski. Last year’s winner and GCW star 1 Called Manders is back to try to be the first competitor to ever win back-to-back. The local scene is well represented, too, with former champion and Chattanooga native Jaden Newman, SCI Rumble winner Erron Wade, TWE Champion Darian Bengston, former Action Wrestling champion Adam Priest, Hardcore legend Tank, and Atlanta standout Rico Gonzalez all in the field.”
  • “The Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan, an integral figure in wrestling history, needs help.

Questions looming about SummerSlam

During the Money in the Bank main event, I was waiting for a sign that indicated Randy Orton was going to challenge Cody Rhodes for the undisputed WWE championship at SummerSlam.

Evidently, I’ll keep waiting.

Understandably, the decision was made to present The Bloodline as strongly as possible. Not only was that the right decision, it was the only one. But was it necessary to pin Rhodes only two months into his title reign? Perhaps, given the circumstances, it was.

Even after pinning Rhodes, Solo Sikoa is no threat to take the title from Rhodes at SummerSlam. Regardless of how many times he beats him in multi-man matches, it is hard to envision a scenario where he would ever take the belt from Rhodes. Orton, however, is an entirely different story.

Orton is a credible threat to Rhodes. There are very few of those on the roster, which speaks to Rhodes’ popularity. It’s also the best main event for SummerSlam, as well as the most compelling bout for Rhodes as champion. Orton wouldn’t even need to turn heel; instead, the focus could be on his fixation with regaining the world title.

If the plan is to bring Roman Reigns back at SummerSlam, then it makes sense to put Sikoa in the main event. I’d prefer the focus stays on Rhodes, especially as he continues to establish himself as champion.

Tweet of the Week

Ethan Page has worked very hard for this opportunity–best of luck to him as NXT champion.

Published
Justin Barrasso

JUSTIN BARRASSO

Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

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