Swerve Strickland worked through a torn meniscus for years before finally undergoing surgery.
During a September 14 appearance on HOT 97’s “Morning with Mero,” the AEW star was asked about some of the worst injuries he has experienced or witnessed throughout his wrestling career.
Strickland said he has generally avoided major injuries, but revealed that his meniscus issue dated all the way back to 2019.
“I never had bad injuries,” Strickland said. “I tore my meniscus in 2019. I didn’t get the surgery till 2026.”
Rather than immediately having the injury repaired, Strickland said he continued wrestling on it for years.
“I just wrestled on it for like five years,” he said. “I was performing. I never stopped. So that was just something I dealt with just to get all the achievements and stuff.”
Eventually, Strickland reached a point where he felt comfortable stepping away long enough to address the injury.
“Then I was like, ‘Okay, I feel like I can take a break now.’”
Elsewhere in the interview, Strickland discussed his approach to recovering from the punishment that comes with professional wrestling. He said he generally relies on heat, ice and rest while attempting to avoid medication whenever possible.
“There is no real recovery. Just heat, heating pad, ice, lay down,” Strickland said. “I try to avoid pills as much as possible because I want to try to find some remedy that doesn’t require medication.”
Strickland underwent knee surgery earlier this year before eventually returning to the ring.
