Swerve Strickland pulls off a Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes is the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion. When he was signed to All Elite Wrestling, he got a massive neck tattoo. Initially, The American Nightmare faced criticism due to the ink, but now it is an integral part of his character and gimmick.
Recently, former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland got a similar tattoo. While Rhodes's got inked on the side of his neck, Strickland got it in the front. The person who created the piece is an artist named Jonah, from Sacred Eye Tattoos, Florida. The former WWE star calls his tattoo "SPEAK FROM THE HEART". Swerve further revealed that there is more work to be done it.
Swerve Strickland and his manager Prince Nana are currently in a rivalry with The Hurt Syndicate. This stable consists of Shelton Benjamin, Bobby Lashley, and MVP.
Cody Rhodes revealed why he didn't want to become the AEW World Champion
During his time in All Elite Wrestling, Cody Rhodes was not just one of the company's Executive Vice Presidents but also won the TNT Championship thrice. However, he never held the AEW World Champion. In a recent interview with The Flagrant podcast, The American Nightmare revealed that he was scared of holding the promotion's top title because he didn't want people to think he was abusing his management power.
"I was terrified of winning the championship. There is this revisionist history; the last year, I was a bad guy, and they were booing me left and right. Those first two years, and especially those first two months, I was the hottest thing they had, and that was a great spot to be in, but my fear was, ‘If I win the title, I’m abusing this. I’m the Executive Vice President.'" said the American Nightmare. [H/T TJR Wrestling]
Cody Rhodes recently became the inaugural WWE Crown Jewel Champion by defeating Gunther at Crown Jewel 2024.