Today, wrestling fans recognize Swerve Strickland as a former AEW World Champion and one of the promotion’s most confident and dangerous competitors. Before reaching that level of prominence, however, Strickland built much of his foundation under a very different identity.
From 2015 to 2018, Strickland performed in Lucha Underground as the masked character Killshot. During that time, he developed many of the skills and confidence that would eventually help shape the performer fans see today in All Elite Wrestling.
Speaking on the “Battleground Podcast,” Strickland reflected on that era of his career and explained how the experience played a crucial role in helping him evolve into the star he would later become.
“I feel like at the time I learned all that I could at that level with Lucha Underground and that’s what gave me the confidence to become Swerve,” Strickland said.
Rather than simply leaving the Killshot persona behind, Strickland said he took the lessons he learned from that character and applied them to building his current identity.
“I needed to take the Killshot, not the name, but the education, the skillset, the knowledge and that instinct, the confidence that I grew becoming Killshot in The Temple of Lucha Underground.”
According to Strickland, that confidence eventually became the foundation for his current persona.
“I had to take that confidence and put that towards Swerve and make Swerve that performer that Killshot was. And then that grew immensely when I got into AEW. The confidence grew again.”
Strickland explained that when he first arrived in Lucha Underground, his goal was simply to establish himself as a recognizable presence on the show. However, that perception changed dramatically following his highly regarded Hell of War match against AR Fox, who competed in the promotion as Dante Fox.
After that bout, Strickland began to see himself as a top performer, a mindset that he says continues to influence how he approaches his work today.
During his four-season run in Lucha Underground, Strickland captured the Trios Championships and became one of the promotion’s standout performers. His career has continued to grow since then, including a reign as AEW Tag Team Champion alongside Keith Lee and a run as AEW World Champion in 2024.
Strickland’s comments highlight how important developmental environments and alternative promotions can be in shaping future stars. While Lucha Underground is no longer active, the promotion helped showcase a number of wrestlers who later became major names across the industry, and Strickland’s evolution from Killshot to AEW World Champion is a clear example of how those early opportunities can help build the confidence and skills needed to succeed on a much larger stage.
Did you watch Swerve Strickland during his Killshot run in Lucha Underground?
