Tony Khan to replace Swerve Strickland with former WWE star at AEW Full Gear 2024? Exploring the chances
AEW is heading into its sixth annual Full Gear PPV Weekend, and unfortunately, the company has been hit with a bout of bad breaking news. Tony Khan and his team could be faced with a major decision in the coming days. There is now increased speculation on potential scenarios, including one that would see a former WWE Superstar replace Swerve Strickland.
All Elite Wrestling is just days away from presenting Full Gear from Newark, NJ. Saturday's pay-per-view is set to highlight several top storylines and four championship feuds, as outlined in the viral November Rain vignette released this week. Full Gear is also scheduled to feature the in-ring debut of Bobby Lashley, who is booked to face Swerve in singles action for the first time ever. However, that match could now be in jeopardy after Strickland seemingly revealed a shoulder injury this afternoon.
The All Mighty's rivalry with The Realest began before Lashley even made his Dynamite debut as MVP and Shelton Benjamin first brought The Hurt Syndicate to AEW weeks back. The duo tried to recruit Swerve, but this didn't go over well with Prince Nana, or the man himself. Strickland served Benjamin his first All Elite loss on the Fright Night Dynamite, but Lashley arrived post-match to officially reunite the trio in AEW.
Fast forward to this past Wednesday, Strickland defeated Lio Rush and then called Lashley out for a fight. The segment ended with MVP forcing Nana to watch while Swerve was destroyed by Lashley and Benjamin.
The New Flavor is now blaming AEW's newest heel faction for his apparent injury. Strickland took to X today to share an X-ray photo of his shoulder, captioning it with a line about how beatings from The Hurt Syndicate are taking a toll. Strickland has not elaborated as of this writing, and AEW has not commented on his status, but Tony Khan could be forced to make a critical decision just five days before the pay-per-view.
Ricochet seems to be a favorite to replace Strickland if the former EVOLVE Champion is unable to compete against Lashley. Not including Prince Nana, the storyline has featured all former WWE Superstars so far - Strickland, Lashley, Benjamin, MVP - and even Lio Rush, so The Highlight Of The Night would be a perfect fit. Furthermore, Ricochet has a history with the faction as he battled The Hurt Business on RAW in 2019 and 2020 after they unsuccessfully tried to recruit him, just like with Swerve.
The One & Only could be a safe replacement for Strickland as well. Lashley and Ricochet are familiar with each other as they wrestled three televised matches in WWE. Ricochet won the first on RAW in February 2020, but Lashley won the next two that summer. Ricochet also has three non-televised live event victories over the Lashley. The former WWE Intercontinental Champions have also locked up in more than a dozen multi-man matches.
Sources have not confirmed Strickland's status for Full Gear as of this writing, and fans are patiently awaiting an update from Swerve and AEW. While not officially announced, The Hurt Syndicate and Swerve are expected for Wednesday's go-home Dynamite episode from Reading, PA.
Ricochet is not currently booked for the pay-per-view, but he has been announced for the All-Star 8-Man Tag Team Match on Dynamite. He is set to team with Will Ospreay, Mark Davis, and Powerhouse Hobbs to go against Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage, and Lance Archer.
AEW viewership for popular November Rain vignette
All Elite Wrestling made headlines over the weekend after releasing a near-9-minute music video for Full Gear, featuring the hit single November Rain from Guns N' Roses. The rock legends are notorious for being protective of their music, and AEW likely paid a hefty fee for the license.
AEW's November Rain music video seems to be a big hit with fans, with heavy social media praise for how the vignette highlights the various Full Gear storylines. However, the video isn't drawing that well as the version on X currently has around 263,900 views, while the YouTube upload has just 67,608 views as of this writing.
Khan expressed excitement over the music video on social media, and he's said to be somewhat thrilled beyond that, according to Wrestling Observer Radio. The video is also set to air on Wednesday's Dynamite, and the Full Gear pay-per-view, but it remains to be seen if the full video will be shown.