AEW Star Wanted To Win Championship Before Even Signing With Company

Published: May 24, 2024 by SP3 | Last Updated: May 25, 2024 by SP3

Born in Harlem, New York and now living in the Bronx, Sid Pullar III aka SP3 is a lifelong wrestling fan who has been covering the industry for over nine years as a podcaster and writer. His passion for the industry has been documented with over 3,000 videos on YouTube and 8,000 written pieces across multiple outlets, such as WrestleTalk, Sports Illustrated and more.

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AEW

AEW star Roderick Strong says he wanted to win the AEW International Championship before even signing with the company.

At AEW Revolution 2024, Roderick Strong defeated Orange Cassidy to win the AEW International Championship.

Since then, Strong has cemented himself as champion through matches against the likes of Kyle O’Reilly and Rocky Romero.

On the latest episode of AEW Unrestricted, Roderick Strong admitted that he wanted to win the AEW International Championship before he had even signed with the company. He said:

“I want to say it’s an honor, but obviously, that seems strange to say, but it honestly is.”

“This is the title that, immediately when it came about, that was something I’ve had my eye on, even when I wasn’t with the company.”

“So to have the opportunity to face someone like Orange Cassidy, as talented as he is, kind of surreal at the moment.”

“People were talking to me about that, just how amazing that pay-per-view was overall and just the fact that it was a spotlight opportunity, and I took advantage of it, so it was awesome.”

On what it means to be a champion in All Elite Wrestling, Strong said:

“It’s meant the world to me, and something that was important to me after I won it, or before I won it, when I knew I was gonna win it, was the fact that I was gonna make people earn their opportunities to face me.”

“I appreciate what Orange did for a lot of people, but like everything in my career, I had to take the long path. So I’m gonna make people take the long path.”

“You see how often people quit, and they’re not willing to really sacrifice. They say they will, but when they’re in that situation, they won’t. So to me, this means. next to my wife and my son, it means everything.”

Roderick Strong will defend the AEW International Championship against Will Ospreay this Sunday, May 26 at AEW Double Or Nothing 2024. For the full lineup for the event, click here.

Transcription via Fightful

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