"I'll admit that" - Top AEW star agrees WWE was right in not pushing him two years ago
A top-rising AEW star recalls his time in the WWE and admits that Triple H and Shawn Michaels were right not to give him a push during his time in the Stamford-based promotion.
The top AEW star in question is Swerve Strickland (fka Isaih Scott). Swerve has been on an upward spiral ever since making his AEW debut and is one of the hottest stars in wrestling today as well. However, The Killshot had an underwhelming run during his time in the WWE before his release in 2021.
Nevertheless, Swerve Strickland admits that WWE higher-ups were right not to push the button on him two years ago as he was not ready. Speaking on Notsam Wrestling recently, Strickland admitted the following:
"Like I saw this earlier, they were like, 'They [WWE] should have pushed the button on him a year ago or two years ago.' I'm like, 'No, they shouldn't have.' I'll admit that," said the AEW star. "No, it wasn't my time. Once again, it goes back to Shawn's quote, they were like, I didn't handle this, in this position at that time. Now at a later time, I would've probably handled it better. But, now I know where I'm good at, now I know where my position lies, and I can handle that, I can excel at this." (H/T WrestlingINC)
Swerve Strickland wants to make history in AEW
Despite being a heel, Swerve Strickland is one of the fan favorites in the All Elite promotion. Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on Insights recently, The Realest opened up on his desire to make history and become the first-ever black AEW world champion:
"In the storyline arc, I wanted to like, if I had the opportunity that Hangman did, I would be the first black AEW World Champion. Just pointing out that like I could make history. That's how much — that's where I see myself as a history-maker. I truly believe I can. Now the talk is getting louder weekly. This past Wednesday, I didn't even say anything, but people are still shouting it even louder." (H/T WrestlingINC)
Meanwhile, Swerve is one of the participants in the ongoing Continental Classic tournament and is also one of the favorites to win it. Going forward, it remains to be seen how Strickland fares in the tournament as he buckles up to face Jon Moxley next week on Dynamite in the Gold League.