Jim Cornette questions AEW's booking of ex-WWE star
Jim Cornette questioned how AEW presented Swerve Strickland in his recent Rampage clash against Darby Allin.
Allin and Swerve renewed their indie rivalry as they battled to qualify for the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. Due to the ongoing feud between Swerve & Keith Lee against Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs, Starks made his way to the ring to cause a distraction.
The distraction led to Allin winning via pinfall, setting up a dream match between him and Jeff Hardy in the first round of the upcoming tournament. Missing out on the tournament, Swerve has since made it clear he will seek vengeance on Starks.
For the first time ever, we see the bracket for the #OwenHart Foundation Men's Tournament! Who will the Joker be that faces @SamoaJoe in the first round?! #AEWDynamite is LIVE on @TBSNetwork! https://t.co/NxbBmzmpkf
However, as he explained on the Jim Cornette Experience, Cornette feels as though AEW is doing the ex-WWE star no favors in their booking:
"I'm thinking, wait a minute, not only is this just a cold babyface match that they've gone straight into, Sting didn't even get an entrance, much less Darby or Swerve, but now because this is a qualifying match, Swerve has just got there and he won't make the actual tournament. So how does that present a new talent in a positive light when they can't even qualify for the tournament?" (from 1:33 to 1:58)
He further pondered what he saw as a better booking strategy:
"Would it have been better to use a flunky for these qualifying matches to get your stars in the tournament and have Swerve complain that he got here too late for an entrance berth in the tournament?" (from 2:01 to 2:11)
Swerve Strickland has lost half of his matches since joining AEW
Swerve made his AEW debut during Revolution, becoming the latest WWE castaway to join the Jacksonville-based promotion. In his debut match, the former Hit Row leader won against fellow ex-WWE star Tony Nese before feuding with Ricky Starks.
Challenging for the FTW world title, Swerve couldn't replicate his debut and suffered his first loss. He sought a return to form as he defeated QT Marshall to make his singles record 2-1 but lost once more in his tag debut alongside Keith Lee against Starks & Hobbs.
Keith and Swerve equaled their tag record against Nick Comoroto & Aaron Solo. But his loss to Darby Allin splits his record 3-3.
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