Swerve Strickland spoke with Sports Illustrated ahead of his TNT Championship number one contender’s match against Bryan Danielson on tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite. Here are the highlights:
On his AEW run:
“There is no one like me, and there was no one before who was like me,” said Strickland. “I’m different. And the truth is I’m just getting started.”
On facing Danielson:
“The beauty of this is that there are big expectations for quality, but people are going to be surprised at the match we put on,” said Strickland. “Bryan is one of the greatest of our generation, and one of the greatest of all-time. I’m one of the biggest up-and-coming talents–and looking to be all-time. I’m one of the most unique performers. I hope to spawn new talents to follow my template. I’m laying that groundwork now. Bryan Danielson’s legacy is ever-growing, but I want to be the one to seal it. This is where it ends for him and begins with me.”
On his WWE release:
“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. I’ve always been able to reflect the negative energy back into positives,” said Strickland. “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.”