Swerve Strickland wasn’t surprised by Thekla’s rise to the top of AEW’s women’s division.
The former AEW World Champion recently reflected on Thekla’s ascent to the AEW Women’s World Championship, revealing that he recognized her star potential from the moment she made her company debut.
Thekla captured the AEW Women’s World Championship in February by defeating Kris Statlander in a Strap Match. Her 165-day reign came to an end at AEW Redemption this past weekend when she dropped the title to Willow Nightingale.
Speaking with Marking Out in a new interview (see video below), Strickland was asked whether he expected Thekla to become AEW Women’s World Champion so quickly.
“100%. On her debut, the entrance alone captivated me, and I was like, that’s a star,” Strickland said. “She has it. She has it and she’s comfortable with it, and she knows who she is.”
Strickland went on to explain that Thekla’s appeal comes from being authentic rather than something that can be manufactured.
“It’s not something the machine can put together to crop together,” he continued. “This is who you are. This is just naturally who she is. Someone like that is just bound to succeed.”
Make sure to join us here at WrestlingHeadlines.com every Wednesday night at 8/7c for live AEW Dynamite Results coverage.
