Swerve Strickland Claims Credit for Saving AEW and NJPW’s Partnership

Swerve Strickland has had an incredibly successful 2024, holding the AEW World Championship and engaging in intense rivalries with Adam Page, Bryan Danielson, and Will Ospreay. In fact, he has now claimed credit for saving AEW and NJPW’s partnership.

In a recent interview with O’Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Jefferson on the No Contest, Swerve Strickland was asked about the moment that elevated his career in AEW. He mentioned the battle royal at Double or Nothing as a key turning point. According to him, if the match hadn’t come down to him and Orange Cassidy, it might not have sparked the idea in Tony Khan’s mind to push him further. He believes that moment was crucial in his AEW journey.

Strickland also recalled when he felt Tony Khan began to place significant trust in him. He mentioned a match on Collision against Hiroshi Tanahashi, just before Forbidden Door. During the match, Tanahashi slipped while attempting his High Fly Flow finisher. Strickland reacted quickly, engaging Tanahashi and keeping the match flowing until Tanahashi successfully hit the move and won. This, Strickland believes, showed his ability to handle difficult situations and proved his reliability to Khan and Strickland claimed credit for saving AEW and NJPW’s relationship.

“If I had to guess one, a lot of people like to pinpoint one area, but I would say the battle royal at Double or Nothing. If it doesn’t come down to me and Orange Cassidy, I don’t spark the thing with Tony of being like, ‘He made this amazing. Let’s do it again.’ I don’t spark that idea in Tony Khan’s mind.

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Through the office, from talks I heard, it was me and Tanahashi on Collision. It was going into Forbidden Door. He was about to do the High Fly Flow, and he slips off. I run up and start fighting him up there. He knocks me off and gives me the High Fly Flow and wins. That was the moment Tony was like, ‘I can trust him in anything.’ I can trust him with anybody and anything. That might be what saved the New Japan relationship with AEW. He became President soon after that. He gets hurt, that goes away. After that, I started wrestling veterans. RVD, Jeff Hardy, Billy Gunn, Sting. ‘Swerve can make it work.’ Bring on the task, please.”

Swerve Strickland is currently embroiled in a feud with MVP and Shelton Benjamin, but there is no doubt that he continues to be an integral part of AEW’s current product. After all, AEW and NJPW’s relationship continues to go strong as they will be holding the Forbidden Door event next year as well as Wrestle Dynasty, which fans are very excited about.

Do you believe Swerve Strickland was responsible for saving AEW and NJPW’s relationship? Sound off in the comments section below!