Swerve Stickland hasn’t slowed down since defeating Samoa Joe at AEW Dynasty in April to become the first black AEW World Champion.
The champion successfully defended his title against Christian Cage at Double or Nothing last month with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in attendance, and is scheduled to put his championship on the line against Roderick Strong on Wednesday’s Dynamite (8 p.m., TBS).
A win over Strong would see him face Will Ospreay in the main event of AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door on June 30 at UBS Arena (8 p.m., Bleacher Report/Triller).
Strickland took the time to sit down for a Q&A with Washington Post reporter Joseph Staszewski to look ahead to the future.
(Edited for clarity and length)
Q: During your promo for Collision, you said that you and Will Ospreay need each other and complement each other. What does that mean?
A: This is his first time as a pay-per-view main event. Everything he’s done, he’s set the bar higher and higher and raised the level every time he steps in the ring. There’s still more he has to accomplish, he has to get past me to do that. I’m the AEW World Champion, I’ve made history, I’ve main-evented pay-per-views with Dynasty, and I still have more I want to accomplish.
This is my first time headlining a Forbidden Door show and my first time in the main event. It took me and Will working together to achieve what I wanted to achieve. We complement each other well. We’re still both striving for the goal of getting better and raising our game, but we need each other to do it.
Q: Do you feel like you two creatively complement each other in the way you present yourself on TV? You have a bit of a nasty side, and Will is starting to take a more true babyface path.
A: 100%. There’s still a lot of story to be told next week. I don’t want to give too much away. Stay tuned and pay attention to what’s going on. We all know what my relationship is like with him.
Q: Did you guys meet at the right time? It feels like you’re both at the peak of your careers right now. Obviously, you’re both world champions now. I think now was the right time for you guys to meet.
A: I loved that it was shocking. People weren’t expecting it. We kind of just threw it at them and I love that. I love that people couldn’t predict this kind of thing.
Q: The last time you and Will faced each other was in 2016. What do you remember about that match and about a young Will Ospreay?
A: He’s always had that God-given talent and performance, but now there’s more power in everything he does. There’s so much more power in everything he does. All of his hits are more attack-focused, and he’s more explosive. I’ve never seen a player more explosive than him, but he’s also got the agility to match it. That combination makes him a scary thing. He’s not a one-dimensional performer.
Q: After the Forbidden Door fight happened, a video started circulating again of the two of you dancing to “Uptown Funk” during a match in 2016. How did that start and how do you look back on it now in your careers?
A: At that time, we were just trying to have fun, we were making a name for ourselves and we just wanted to have fun along the way. Even in All Elite Wrestling and at this stage of our careers, we still have fun in a different way. We have fun, just in a different way, mainly now we are trying to create a legacy. I feel like he has grown so much and is in legacy mode, but at that time we were in fun mode. We weren’t trying to go viral. We were just trying to entertain the German crowd.
Q: He’s starting to do the Mercedes Monet dance. Do you think he and Prince Nana will have a dance battle?
A: It’s quite possible. You know, he (Osprey) has always been the type who loves to dance. He’s always loved to dance.
Q: Why was it important to you to be a champion who fights on TV every week? Of course, some people think that a champion should be something special and not fight every week.
A: In my opinion, that’s a pet peeve of All Elite Wrestling. Nobody had an issue with Jon Moxley when he was wrestling on independent shows as AEW World Champion. He’s one of the greatest champions of all time. I just want to make something an issue. I’m going to be one of the most polarizing because I’m AEW World Champion. Because of the history I’ve made, every little thing I do is going to be very scrutinized for a variety of reasons. I’m going to be scrutinized for that, and AEW is going to be scrutinized for that.
Not only am I the AEW World Champion, but I also help lead the locker room. I also want to develop other talent. Going back to Jon Moxley, think about what he did for Wheeler Utah, main eventing Rampage as AEW World Champion. That helped propel Wheeler Utah to Blackpool Combat Club. I want to make sure that everybody is moving in the direction they need to. That’s my responsibility in a lot of ways, and if people have a problem with certain things like that, that’s not my problem.
Wrestling fans [not] You’ve seen heel champions for so long, it’s just a culture shock, and you’re like, ‘No, I think that’s the norm.’ I’m like, ‘No, there’s another way to be champion.’ Bret Hart did something different as champion than Hogan.
Q: You’ve said that Roderick Strong bullied and pushed the young Swerve around. What did you learn from your matches with Roderick in NXT?
A: It’s really a way to protect yourself. I saw Roderick Strong do it, not just in NXT, he’s been doing it since his PWG days. He was known for it. That mentality is what’s gotten him so long in his career. Gatekeeper talent is disappearing in wrestling. But it makes the industry respect it. It makes the craft take seriously. You need guys like Roderick Strong around. It’s not a bad thing. It’s not a stain on who he is or what kind of professional he is. I’m not at the stage in my career where I’m going to be bullied or punched or beaten up anymore.”
Q: What did it mean to you when Floyd Mayweather Jr. saw your fight at Double or Nothing and said he was in? Is there any chance we’ll see more interaction between the two of you?
A: For me it’s influence. That’s my influence. Floyd Mayweather is not a guy that you just take out and get him out of the house. He’s not a guy that does something easily without doing anything. He heard that there was a black world champion in All Elite Wrestling and he wanted to see it for himself, so he came out to show his love. That’s what means something. That shows that what I’m doing means something. That it reaches far. We’ll see what it does. You’ll see it, just like I did. Just know that it’s an impact, not just on wrestling but on the world.
Q: Do you have a dream scenario with Floyd?
A: I’d love to have him take me to a game. I’d love to have him take me to a game. That would be a real dream.
Q: Why was it important to you to have storylines outside of the ring or arena, like the attack on Nick Wayne, the break-in at Hangman’s house, the fight with Christian in the parking lot, etc.? Does this help make your story stand out?
A: The fact that with me you are never safe anywhere is the problem. People take advantage of the fact that if you run away you are safe. I never want my opponents to think that they are safe just because they are not in a wrestling ring. I think that creates my real danger. Oh, you can run away, but you can never stay on the run.
Q: There have been some reports that the creative process has been a bit hectic in AEW recently. How are you feeling about the creative process these days?
A: It’s a give and take. Not all of my ideas have worked, and not all of my ideas have been approved. At the end of the day, it’s about what your boss wants and needs. It’s also about earning their trust. You need to know what’s best for the company and what’s best for the person. Myself, Tony Khan, and the rest of the management team try to strike that balance.
