Swerve Strickland’s time with WWE pails in comparrison to his role with AEW, and now the former World Champion has stepped foot into the WWE-AEW debate. Speaking with Bootleg Kev, Strickland said that fans don’t have to pick a side and can enjoy both companies.
“You can enjoy both and both are successful. That’s the beauty of it.“
Strickland turned to the world of movies to explain his point, saying that AEW is like the much-acclaimed movie producer A24. As host, Kev used another pop culture analogy, saying WWE is Chicago Fire while AEW is The Wire—a grittier, more character-driven product.
Strickland’s attitude is a positive one as he demonstrates that fans don’t need to pick a side when it comes to wanting to enjoy professional wrestling. As a former WWE Superstar, Strickland will have several friends still with WWE who he wants to see succeed even if his own time with WWE was cut short years ago. In the past, AEW never shied away at taking shots at WWE. These references to their competition have gotten fewer in recent years, likely thanks to WWE’s resurgence in popularity.
Strickland is a top name in AEW and hopes to become a two-time AEW World Champion soon enough. While the wrestler hopes to prove that AEW is indeed ‘Swerve’s House’ he has no issue with those fans ready to spend their hard-earned money with WWE.
