The road to recovery has officially started for Swerve Strickland.
On Wednesday, the former AEW World Champion underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee. The injury is something Swerve has been dealing with for some time now, but he worked through it.
Strickland finished up his rivalry with Kazuchika Okada with their showdown for the AEW Unified Championship at the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door: London pay-per-view this past Sunday at the O2 Arena. After the match, Okada attacked Swerve’s knee with a chair to explain his absence from television, which also led to the return of Wardlow.
Swerve surfaced on social media, sharing a photo of his knee wrapped up after the operation (pictured above and below). In an additional follow-up post shared via his official X account, Swerve wrote, “Success.”
It is unclear exactly how long Swerve Strickland will be on the sidelines recovering. In general, a pro wrestler’s recovery time after meniscus repair surgery is generally six-to-nine months, though it can be longer for complex tears or more aggressive rehabilitation protocols. It can also be much less, with some sources predicting Swerve could be back in as soon as two-to-three months.
We will keep you posted here at WrestlingHeadlines.com as updates regarding Swerve Strickland’s recovery process and AEW return status continue to surface.
Success
— The Realest Swerve Strickland (@swerveconfident) August 27, 2025
