Case File No. 54: Swerve Strickland

 

Photo Source: aew.com.

Today, I uncover the file of Swerve Strickland, who is known as "The Most Dangerous Man in AEW," and current Trios Champions with The New Level. He made AEW history, becoming the first "Black" World Champion, and is the third Triple Crown Champion. I highly doubt if his first World Title reign is his last--it shouldn't be, anyway. He's way too talented not to have multiple World Title reigns over the course of time, as well as eventually becoming a Grand Slam Champion.

HT: 6-1 WT: 240

Promotion: AEW

Credentials:

AEW World Champion (1)

AEW Tag Team Champion (1)

AEW Trios Champion (current)

Strengths:

-Well-rounded performer

-Can wrestle any style and in any kind of match

-Exceptional ring awareness

-Very agile and athletic

-Solid mic skills/promos

-Great connection with the audience

Weaknesses:

-His intensity can sometimes cause him to lose focus

Final Analysis:

Swerve is a complete package as a performer. He's exceptional in the ring; he has a combination of power, speed, crazy agility and athleticism, and he can wrestle any kind of match. There's no match that's out of his depth. His mic skills and promos are solid--I think he's one of the best talkers in AEW--and he knows how to connect with the crowd as a face or heel, and he's very good at blurring the lines between the two.

I don't see any glaring weaknesses. There is one thing I noticed, and honestly, I think I'm being nit-picky with this one. While his intensity is one of his strengths, it can also be a weaknesses, and it will cause him to temporarily lose focus sometimes, particularly when it comes to his rivalry with Adam Page.

I heard about Swerve about three years ago, and I finally got a chance to see him in '24, and not many wrestlers nowadays impress me, but I was immediately impressed with what I saw. To me, Swerve is the best wrestler in AEW, and if his character continues to trend in the right direction, and I can definitely see him mentioned in the upper echelon with the others who are considered iconic. 

While I'm no longer an avid watcher of wrestling, Swerve is the reason why I started watching AEW consistently. I don't say this about too many wrestlers nowadays, but he's one of the few I think is undeniable.