Swerve Strickland urges WWE to push 35-year-old star - "I still want it for him so bad"
Swerve Strickland is one of the top stars in AEW now, but it was a long road for the 34-year-old. Another talent who's currently struggling to work his way up is WWE's Cedric Alexander, who Strickland gave a shout-out to in a recent interview.
Cedric Alexander was a member of the Hurt Business in WWE, but he's been separated from MVP, Bobby Lashley, and his old tag team partner, Shelton Benjamin. MVP and Benjamin are currently making waves in AEW, and Lashley is expected to join them soon. Meanwhile, Alexander is back in NXT.
While Swerve Strickland is currently at odds with MVP's Hurt Syndicate, he had a lot of praise for Alexander. On the most recent edition of the No-Contest Wrestling podcast, the former AEW World Champion claimed that the 35-year-old needs the opportunity to express himself:
"Cedric, so much raw unadulterated talent in that man. Even with himself, I think he’s still nervous to fully express himself, but you never get that until you push him and give him that open time. I think he needs that."
Swerve further expressed his hope that WWE invests in Alexander:
"They just re-signed him for like another three years, so you invest in him. You showed that investment in him and I want to see more investment in him because there’s a lot of people that can learn from him. There’s a lot that the fanbase can learn from just watching him. I still want it for him so bad. That’s like a brother [to me]." [H/T: PWMania]
Swerve Strickland opens up on Tony Khan's trust in him
After stalling in the tag team division in early 2023, Swerve Strickland worked his way to the top of AEW and ultimately became the company's World Champion in April of this year.
Strickland has obviously gained Tony Khan's trust, and he revealed in the same appearance on No-Contest Wrestling that his June 2023 match against NJPW legend Hiroshi Tanahashi may have saved AEW's partnership with the promotion while also securing his future:
"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.'"
Swerve Strickland lost his AEW World Championship at All In 2024. After a brief hiatus, he became embroiled in a feud with the recently arrived Hurt Syndicate. Whether the 34-year-old can climb back to the top and reclaim his title remains to be seen.