It was one of the biggest days in the history of AEW.
And it was certainly one of the biggest days of Swerve Strickland’s wrestling career.
One year ago, when All Elite Wrestling held Dynasty in St. Louis, Strickland won the promotion’s heavyweight championship, defeating Samoa Joe for the right to call himself the best wrestler in AEW.
And after he realized the dream of winning one of the most coveted championships in wrestling, things got even better when Strickland’s family surprised him.
“They secretly flew them out without me knowing,” Strickland said of his daughters Aniya, 15, and Aaliyah, 13. “We had a nice celebration after the show. (My lawyer) hid them behind the curtain and unveiled them. They showed up. I thought, ‘Wow, they actually came to my event!’ The mom of the oldest never flies, so for her to come out, it meant a lot.
“That was honestly the highlight of the weekend. Obviously the history and winning meant the world and people who were watching, but it meant even more later that night, I got to experience just for me, all the loved ones that were there. That’s where it meant the most.”
There will be no repeat this year.
Strickland actually bought his girls a home and they’ll be moving into the new palace the first weekend in April. Sorry, girls, but daddy won’t be able to help. He’ll be busy once again looking to make history.
Strickland will main event AEW Dynasty 2025, where he’ll face Jon Moxley for the AEW Championship. This year, AEW will hold its event at the Liacouras Center at Temple University, marking the first time the promotion will hold a pay per view in Philly.
A victory would give Strickland his second reign with the biggest honor in the promotion, but to get it, he has to go through one of the most dominant champions in the promotion’s history. He’ll also have to deal with Moxley’s crew Death Riders, which includes Claudio Castagnoli, PAC, Marina Shafir and Wheeler Yuta, a Philly favorite.
It’s a chance at history, but not an easy one.
“Moxley, I very much enjoy being in the ring with him,” Strickland said. “Also, I haven’t beaten him yet, so there’s a little animosity. He has one pinfall victory over me. For sure, it’s something that mentality we have to kill it every time we get into the ring. Always an opportunity to earn it.
“We’re cut from the same cloth, we were not given anything, we had to earn it. That’s what it feels like. Going back to Philly, we have to earn another one. Let’s go out there and earn it again. But we’re in such a great place and vulnerable place with how Moxley has done things. He’s held things down for AEW, but he’s taken a lot away.”
Moxley and his troops have been running roughshod over the promotion, knocking off everyone put in their way. But Strickland has been able to overcome just about anything thrown in his way.
Strickland has been able to steal many pay per views, putting on great matches with Bryan Danielson, “Hangman” Adam Page and even Ricochet, whom he defeated in March to earn the right to battle Moxley. Now he’s once again in the main event spot, and he’ll be counted on to send the Philly fans home on a good note.
It’s just another job AEW owner Tony Khan is giving to Strickland. And he hasn’t let Khan down yet.
“Anyone can get in the ring, (Khan) puts people in the ring all the time,” Strickland said. “But the fact of delivering what he needed. Be in tags, leading a group or faction, being in a battle royal at Double or Nothing or wrestling (Hiroshi Tanahashi). Wherever he needed, I wanted to be his guy. I told him, I want to be one of your guys, the guy. It’s one thing to say it, it’s another to prove it.
“He knows he can trust me and I’ll run with the ball and score every time. It’s a relationship based on trust and I know AEW comes first. I have things outside of AEW that I’m very passionate about, but if my phone rings and it’s about AEW, those things drop and I’m ready to deliver for Tony and All Elite Wrestling. What do I need to do to make the promotion function in the best way possible?”
Strickland is proud of what he has done during his time in AEW. And he’s very proud of what his coworkers have done. But he’s also far from satisfied.
“I will feel proud when we’re where we want to be,” Strickland said of the promotion that celebrated its fifth anniversary last year. “We’re still growing and want to make things happen. Still looking at growth. I’m certainly proud of what we did and accomplished, but I came up with Will Osprey, Darby Allen, MJF. We all have the same mentality. We want the most we can get.”
Strickland has a chance to get it all at Dynasty. But like the last time he had the title, that doesn’t mean he will stop working hard. In fact, last time he held the gold, he stepped up his game. He plans on doing the same this time.
“It was definitely fun, but it was more the importance, it felt big, major, historic,” Strickland said. “I want people to remember everything. On top of that list is going to be Dynasty last year beating Samoa Joe. Now I’m looking to make history again. Second time in back-to-back years. No higher honor. It’s also an anomaly to do it one time. It’s harder and more impossible to do it a second.”
It’s also another chance for Strickland to stop being a guy on the roster and be the guy on the roster. He’s right there, and he’s not going to stop until he reaches the top of the mountain.
“It was from being in the rooms with people smarter than me,” Strickland said. “I was out there with people who were better than me for 10 years. When you’re always in that position, you’re always learning, always being pushed to feel what greatness is. You know they’re great but you don’t know why until you’re in the ring. The connection with the crowd. All these different elements you can’t understand until you’re in the same ring with them. Not being afraid, building confidence, growing moment after moment and never take any opportunity as a throwaway.
“(You can never think) it’s not a big arena, it’s not a big opponent, it’s not on PPV, it’s not even televised. It’s still an opportunity to learn something. Don’t take them lightly. The things you take from that, apply them later on. That’s really where it all started coming together.”
Also on the card at Dynasty is Kenny Omega defending the AEW International Title against Ricochet and Mike Bailey, and for the AEW Women’s Championship, “Timeless” Toni Storm will oppose Megan Bayne. Tickets for the show are available at allelitewrestling.com.
