Swerve Strickland has discussed his move to AEW in 2022 and his new contract with the company in 2024.
In November 2021, Swerve Strickland was given his release by WWE, and it took just under four months for him to appear in AEW. Making his debut at Revolution on March 6, 2022, Swerve has gone on to become one of the company’s most successful signings and is a former AEW World Champion among other accolades. Now, he’s recalled swapping WWE for AEW around three years ago.
Speaking on VladTV, Strickland revealed that Tony Khan sent a message to Will Washington asking whether Swerve’s non-compete clause was 30 or 90 days, elaborating that Khan felt he just missed out on signing the star before he went to WWE.
“As soon as I got let go and the news got out that my name was on releases from WWE, Tony Khan texted my cousin, Will Washington, ‘does he have a 90 day clause or a 30 day clause’. Apparently I was on the list to get signed to AEW before I got the email from Triple H to join the WWE. Tony said he always felt like he just missed me like ‘Mm that was one of the ones I wanted’ I was like ‘ah man, that’s crazy.’”
-Swerve Strickland
After his meteoric rise in AEW, Strickland signed a new contract with the company just before All In 2024. On this, he discussed what Tony Khan said to him as he signed the deal at Wembley Stadium.
“I signed (the contract) at Wembley in the Queen’s box, where the Queen watches games. And (Tony’s) like this means something to me cause this is one of the most proudest moments of my career. This is crazy because this is where we won our (Fulham) playoff game. Right here, and I cried with my dad and stuff and now you’re the one signing this contract here. So this means something to me, I want it to mean something big to you.”
-Swerve Strickland
Strickland then addressed the reports that emerged shortly after his contract renewal with AEW suggesting WWE believed his deal to be above market value.
“I get a text from my representation and apparently (WWE) reached out and asked if it was a real re-signing. I think it was a couple days later a report comes out that i was ‘paid above market value’”
-Swerve Strickland
Swerve’s success in AEW saw him land in second spot on the 2024 PWI 500, only behind WWE’s Cody Rhodes. On this, Strickland revealed he got a text from Cody saying he should’ve been number one.
“I’m still friends with (Cody), the night that actually came out I texted him like ‘I missed you by one, you son of a bitch’ and he texted me back like ‘honestly dude… you should have been number one’ That’s the competition we have between us, it’s like a good one. Like ‘I wanted to beat you so bad’”
-Swerve Strickland
Up next for Swerve is Jon Moxley, as the 34-year-old looks to become a two-time AEW World Champion. The pair will clash at Dynasty on April 6 in Philadelphia as he continues to cement his legacy in All Elite Wrestling.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Swerve Strickland as soon as we hear more.
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