Belief that Swerve Strickland Should Have Passed on New AEW Deal to Join WWE

Swerve Strickland has been making waves in AEW with his impressive wrestling skills and commanding presence. Despite recently signing a new contract with AEW, some believe he should have turned down that offer and joined WWE instead.

During the Zero Hour pre-show at AEW All In, it was announced that Swerve Strickland had signed a contract extension with AEW. The announcement came during a segment featuring Strickland, Prince Nana, and Tony Khan, where the new deal was formalized.

Strickland’s new multi-year contract is set to keep him with AEW until at least 2028, although the precise length of the deal has not been disclosed. This contract is considered one of the most significant in AEW’s history.

While speaking on a recent episode of the Keepin’ It 100 OFFICIAL podcast, Konnan expressed his belief that Swerve Strickland should have signed with WWE instead of renewing his contract with AEW. The 60-year-old wrestling veteran believed that Tony Khan likely offered Strickland a lucrative deal, especially since WWE had reportedly approached him recently.

“Tony literally gets mad when certain wrestlers leave, okay. So what they’re [WWE] doing now is making him overpay all these wrestlers so he can keep them. Yea, it’s true. I mean, what has Swerve really done to garner any extra attention or draw any extra fans? If he [Tony Khan] wants to keep them because, from what I understand, they [WWE] talked to Swerve, and they talked to Daniel Garcia, and that was enough for him to go, ‘Hey, these are my guys. I’m gonna overpay them!”’ 

Konnan also talked about what could have influenced Strickland’s decision to remain with AEW, noting that the wrestler might be looking to secure a strong financial future. However, Konnan admitted that if he were in Strickland’s shoes, he would have taken the opportunity to join WWE, where he believes Strickland could have been elevated to a major star.

“Why Swerve would stay there unless he’s thinking, ‘Let me get paid for the next five years and be a very rich man. In five years, you know, if they don’t bury me, which they probably won’t, I’ll still be viable, and I could go over there!’ I would’ve [turned down AEW’s deal] and gone there right now because they [WWE] probably would’ve made him a big star.”

Jim Cornette also believes Swerve Strickland’s contract doesn’t reflect his impact on revenue. Regardless, Strickland chose to remain in AEW for the next several years and he is happy with his decision and that’s all that matters.

Do you believe Swerve Strickland should have passed on his new AEW deal and joined WWE instead? Let us know in the comments section below!

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