Posted on 11/26/125 by Colin Vassallo
Former AEW champion Swerve Strickland sat down with Chris
Van Vliet in Houston, Texas to discuss becoming the first
black AEW World Champion, leveling up in AEW, wrestling
Sting at All In 2023 and Bryan Danielson the year after, his
brutal matches with Adam Page, the needle spot in his steel
cage match, why he re-signed with AEW, and more!
On not being that well-known when he signed with AEW:
“Which worked in my favor, because they didn’t have anything
to compare me to. A lot of people were like, ‘Who’s that?’
‘Who’s this?’ On the day that I did the contract signing at
Revolution, I was just like, I can take this as a
disrespectful way and be bitter about it and feel petty, or
I could use this in my favor and be like, okay, they know
me, this is a fresh start. Once again, that rock bottom
feel, there’s nowhere else to go but up. I’m not having to
compare myself or work towards what I did in the past; I
felt like that was so tough for a Bryan Danielson, because
he was coming from being Daniel Bryan. He’s a Hall of Famer,
just that in itself, is a Hall of Famer. So Bryan coming
into [AEW], and for people that only know him as being
Daniel Bryan to doing what he did as Bryan Danielson in AEW,
that’s a whole other Hall of Fame career. Just like 2 to 3
years of him doing what he’s done here in AEW, so I feel
like he had huge shoes to fill. Moxley the same way. Moxley
reinvented himself three, four times here in AEW. Those guys
had it harder than I did, I feel like, because they had this
huge reputation. They had the big names when they came in.
They’re coming in and already had super successful careers
in WWE to like, Oh, I hope he’s better than what we’ve seen
there. Or like, Oh, he’s not as good as what we saw over
there, they already had the comparison.”
On Bryan Danielson saying their match was his favorite:
“Which always blows my mind to even being considered, even
in a top five or 10 or 15 of Bryan Danielson’s matches.
After what he did with Will [Ospreay], after what he did
with Kenny [Omega], and rest in peace, after what he did
with Bray [Wyatt]. After what he did with so many greats,
Orton and Triple H and Batista, then over here, it blows my
mind. Me? But once again, telling moments and making stories
and playing the role that I need to play to get the most out
of it. I always like to go into any match like, What
elements do I have to play with that can make this match not
better, but just different from those other great matches
that I named. I had Brie Bella sitting right there with the
kids, that was the key element to the match was the fact
that he wanted to wrestle in front of his kids, and he never
got to do it. So I was like, I get the honor of being with
the guy to face off and take advantage of that. But that’s
where the story elements of Swerve the character always uses
family against the opponent. I always pick at the heart of
the opponent. That’s what took Hangman down, playing with
his child. They know the elements of teasing him with that.
I beat Darby because of Nick Wayne. I’ve played with that. I
played mind games with The Acclaimed with Billy Gunn. Always
tug at the heartstrings, which is something that Shawn
Michaels told me. So I tug on the heartstrings of Bryan
Danielson’s family being there, but Bryan used it as a
strength, as his power, and it turned against me. So that’s
what actually fired him up and got him to turn it back
against me. I’m the only one that’s been able to actually
tell and carry that story all the way through that whole
year.”
What made you think you could do the syringe spot:
“It was just something that I don’t think has been seen on
American soil, television-wise, in a major promotion like
that in a while, because it’s something that’s like, ‘Why
would you do that?’ ‘Why would anybody do that?’ Good,
that’s why I’m doing it.”
People have a fear of just seeing needles:
“That’s the point. If you’re sitting at home, you’re already
getting uneasy, which we have so many little, small things
that make people uneasy. I knew a syringe would make people
feel uneasy. [It went through your cheek] Yeah, all the way
through. I think I still have the needle.”
It got a lot of reaction online:
“[People said] “That’s stupid.” “That’s dumb.” “Why would
you do that?” Well you’re talking about it, it’s the moment,
and I wouldn’t do that with anybody else. Right there,
unsanctioned cage with Hangman, somebody that I was just
already depleted because I got power bombed on a cinder
block right before that. So I’m like, it’s just punishment.
We’ve already took it so far. He already burned down my
house. Where else further do you go with someone that you
hate? It was just like he hates me that much to just do
something like that. That came out of his boot, he had that.
So that was something he just wanted to punish me with.”
On the chair shot that followed:
“It felt like I got punched in the head from two fists. It
was like from two different sides of the skull. Honestly, it
was very John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, end of a movie, pow,
you’re dead. It’s just as simple as that; there’s nobody
coming to help you. We’re off in the middle of nowhere.
You’ve gone so far as doing bad things. From doing bad
things to earn the success, it’s going to catch up to you,
and that’s what happened to my character. I’ve done all
these bad things, invaded people’s homes, kidnapped people,
beaten an 18-year-old kid up to a bloody pulp in this ring
where his dad passed away, done horrible things, just
despicable things, all for my own glory and all my own
success. I did it for selfish reasons. I made history but it
was ultimately for the wrong things. It’s like the character
at the end of a movie, a drug movie, you’re doing horrible
things to make it to the empire. We’re rooting for you
because deep down, we understand why you’re doing it, but
ultimately, you’re ruining the community. You’re hurting
people, innocent people. There are people that are getting
hurt from the things that you’re doing that you don’t even
know about. So there’s all these residual effects from what
you’re doing as well. Dude, it’s just so much bad karma.
It’s got to come back to you. And that’s basically what it
was.”