Popular AEW Star Reflects On Positives Of WWE Release

WWE/AEW

AEW star Swerve Strickland was one of many names released from WWE back in 2021, along with the other members of the Hit Row stable.

Swerve would later debut for AEW at Revolution in 2022, while the rest of Hit Row would return to WWE that August.

Since his AEW debut, Swerve has become one of the most popular stars in the company, but it possibly couldn’t have happened if he wasn’t released from WWE.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated ahead of AEW Dynamite Title Tuesday, Swerve discussed his release from the company, saying that he took a few days to assess the situation before immediately getting to work.

He said:

“I thought I was on top of the world–then, twenty-four later, I wasn’t. I had to tell my family that. That wasn’t easy. I needed time so I was not angry at myself or embarrassed, which I was for a 48-hour spell. I had to give myself a couple days to absorb it, feel it, understand it–see all the different corners and dimensions. Then I got to work.”

Swerve continued on, outlining the positives of his release, and what opportunities wouldn’t have become available if he was not let go from WWE.

He added:

“I’ve always been able to reflect the negative energy back into positives. After the release, I looked for new windows to open. I flew to Los Angeles and spent 14 days there, and I reconnected with contacts.

“I had the time to get on the ground and meet people. That’s where I met [artist] Flash Garments, and we got in the studio and we made ‘Big Pressure’. Without the WWE release, I don’t make ‘Big Pressure’. I don’t go to the Grammys. I don’t meet Prophet, an incredible producer. I don’t have this epiphany to create Mogul. That’s when all of that was created.”

Swerve Strickland is set to face Bryan Danielson for a TNT Championship opportunity on tonight’s AEW Dynamite Title Tuesday.

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• Swerve Strickland
• Release
• AEW
• wwe

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