Former AEW champion Swerve Strickland sat down with Chris Van Vliet in Houston, Texas to discuss becoming the first black AEW World Champion, leveling up in AEW, wrestling Sting at All In 2023 and Bryan Danielson the year after, his brutal matches with Adam Page, the needle spot in his steel cage match, why he re-signed with AEW, and more!

On not being that well-known when he signed with AEW:

“Which worked in my favor, because they didn’t have anything to compare me to. A lot of people were like, ‘Who’s that?’ ‘Who’s this?’ On the day that I did the contract signing at Revolution, I was just like, I can take this as a disrespectful way and be bitter about it and feel petty, or I could use this in my favor and be like, okay, they know me, this is a fresh start. Once again, that rock bottom feel, there’s nowhere else to go but up. I’m not having to compare myself or work towards what I did in the past; I felt like that was so tough for a Bryan Danielson, because he was coming from being Daniel Bryan. He’s a Hall of Famer, just that in itself, is a Hall of Famer. So Bryan coming into [AEW], and for people that only know him as being Daniel Bryan to doing what he did as Bryan Danielson in AEW, that’s a whole other Hall of Fame career. Just like 2 to 3 years of him doing what he’s done here in AEW, so I feel like he had huge shoes to fill. Moxley the same way. Moxley reinvented himself three, four times here in AEW. Those guys had it harder than I did, I feel like, because they had this huge reputation. They had the big names when they came in. They’re coming in and already had super successful careers in WWE to like, Oh, I hope he’s better than what we’ve seen there. Or like, Oh, he’s not as good as what we saw over there, they already had the comparison.”

On Bryan Danielson saying their match was his favorite:

“Which always blows my mind to even being considered, even in a top five or 10 or 15 of Bryan Danielson’s matches. After what he did with Will [Ospreay], after what he did with Kenny [Omega], and rest in peace, after what he did with Bray [Wyatt]. After what he did with so many greats, Orton and Triple H and Batista, then over here, it blows my mind. Me? But once again, telling moments and making stories and playing the role that I need to play to get the most out of it. I always like to go into any match like, What elements do I have to play with that can make this match not better, but just different from those other great matches that I named. I had Brie Bella sitting right there with the kids, that was the key element to the match was the fact that he wanted to wrestle in front of his kids, and he never got to do it. So I was like, I get the honor of being with the guy to face off and take advantage of that. But that’s where the story elements of Swerve the character always uses family against the opponent. I always pick at the heart of the opponent. That’s what took Hangman down, playing with his child. They know the elements of teasing him with that. I beat Darby because of Nick Wayne. I’ve played with that. I played mind games with The Acclaimed with Billy Gunn. Always tug at the heartstrings, which is something that Shawn Michaels told me. So I tug on the heartstrings of Bryan Danielson’s family being there, but Bryan used it as a strength, as his power, and it turned against me. So that’s what actually fired him up and got him to turn it back against me. I’m the only one that’s been able to actually tell and carry that story all the way through that whole year.”

What made you think you could do the syringe spot:

“It was just something that I don’t think has been seen on American soil, television-wise, in a major promotion like that in a while, because it’s something that’s like, ‘Why would you do that?’ ‘Why would anybody do that?’ Good, that’s why I’m doing it.”

People have a fear of just seeing needles:

“That’s the point. If you’re sitting at home, you’re already getting uneasy, which we have so many little, small things that make people uneasy. I knew a syringe would make people feel uneasy. [It went through your cheek] Yeah, all the way through. I think I still have the needle.”

It got a lot of reaction online:

“[People said] “That’s stupid.” “That’s dumb.” “Why would you do that?” Well you’re talking about it, it’s the moment, and I wouldn’t do that with anybody else. Right there, unsanctioned cage with Hangman, somebody that I was just already depleted because I got power bombed on a cinder block right before that. So I’m like, it’s just punishment. We’ve already took it so far. He already burned down my house. Where else further do you go with someone that you hate? It was just like he hates me that much to just do something like that. That came out of his boot, he had that. So that was something he just wanted to punish me with.”

On the chair shot that followed:

“It felt like I got punched in the head from two fists. It was like from two different sides of the skull. Honestly, it was very John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, end of a movie, pow, you’re dead. It’s just as simple as that; there’s nobody coming to help you. We’re off in the middle of nowhere. You’ve gone so far as doing bad things. From doing bad things to earn the success, it’s going to catch up to you, and that’s what happened to my character. I’ve done all these bad things, invaded people’s homes, kidnapped people, beaten an 18-year-old kid up to a bloody pulp in this ring where his dad passed away, done horrible things, just despicable things, all for my own glory and all my own success. I did it for selfish reasons. I made history but it was ultimately for the wrong things. It’s like the character at the end of a movie, a drug movie, you’re doing horrible things to make it to the empire. We’re rooting for you because deep down, we understand why you’re doing it, but ultimately, you’re ruining the community. You’re hurting people, innocent people. There are people that are getting hurt from the things that you’re doing that you don’t even know about. So there’s all these residual effects from what you’re doing as well. Dude, it’s just so much bad karma. It’s got to come back to you. And that’s basically what it was.”