AEW star Swerve Strickland names "political moves" as reason for WWE exit

Swerve Strickland lost the AEW World Championship to Bryan Danielson at All In 2024

Swerve Strickland, formerly known as Isaiah “Swerve” Scott during his WWE tenure, recently opened up about the challenges he faced in WWE during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show.

Swerve Strickland was part of WWE from April 2019 until his release in November 2021. When asked why his time with the company didn’t lead to more success, Strickland was candid but kept his response concise.

“Political moves. Just political moves, I can say,” he replied, suggesting backstage politics were a major barrier during his WWE run. “I’ll just leave it at ‘political moves.’”

AEW’s Swerve Strickland states that his run in WWE didn’t work out due to “political moves”.(via The Rich Eisen Show) pic.twitter.com/RzH0u6INKd

— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) August 28, 2024

After leaving WWE, Swerve Strickland debuted in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) at Revolution on March 6, 2022. Since then, he has quickly risen through the ranks, proving himself to be one of the most compelling performers in AEW today.

During his interview, Swerve Strickland was asked what he expected upon signing with AEW, to which he responded, “Opportunity and time.”

Unlike his experience in WWE, Strickland was eager to seize any opportunity that AEW provided, regardless of the circumstances. “I worked my way up from the bottom, I don’t care. You can put me in battle royals, I’ll lose them all, I don’t care. Just give me the opportunity to show out,” Strickland explained. This willingness to work from the ground up and prove himself set the tone for his AEW career.

Swerve Strickland emphasized the importance of having creative freedom and the ability to make the most of limited television time.

“Give me the opportunity like, ‘Hey, can I get a minute of TV time right here in this spot?’ ‘Absolutely,’ ‘Okay, I’m going to make something matter.’ That’s something that you just can’t ask for anywhere else. You can’t just ask for a minute and get it, that’s really tough. I don’t care if it’s Dynamite, Rampage, or Collision or Ring of Honor; getting television time forwarded to you is valuable. It’s up to you what you do with it,” Strickland shared.

The AEW star also highlighted how rare it is for wrestlers to be given such opportunities, recognizing that many talented individuals would give anything for just a minute on television.

“It’s about opportunity because there’s a lot of people out there I know that are very, very talented that would dream of getting a minute’s worth of television opportunity.”

Swerve Strickland noted that transitioning to AEW also required him to develop a strong working relationship with AEW President Tony Khan and align his goals with the company’s vision.

“It was also a relationship that I had to build with Tony and All Elite Wrestling. It wasn’t always about me and what I wanted, and I had to learn that too. Through my tenure at AEW, I had to learn like, ‘What is it that Tony needs? What can I provide that Tony needs right now?’”

Strickland’s approach to his career in AEW has paid off significantly. His recent run as AEW World Champion, which lasted 126 days, is a testament to his hard work and dedication.

Strickland captured the AEW World Championship from Samoa Joe at AEW Dynasty in April and successfully defended it against top-tier talents such as Will Ospreay, Roderick Strong, Christian Cage, and Claudio Castagnoli. His reign, however, came to an end on Sunday, but his impact on the company remains undeniable.

While Strickland’s WWE run may have been stifled by backstage politics, his success in AEW underscores his ability to thrive when given the right platform and opportunities.

As he continues to build his legacy in AEW, Strickland’s journey serves as a reminder of the importance of perseverance, adaptability, and seizing the moment.

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