If I May Speak Candidly… Swerve Strickland Should Be AEW World Champion

Swerve Strickland courtesy of AEW

Originally published on April 22, 2024.

The following content reflects my personal opinion and should be interpreted as such. Any views expressed here are solely mine and do not represent any official stance. This opinion piece is intended for entertainment and discussion purposes only, and should not be construed as factual information or professional advice. Reader discretion is advised.

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So I’m writing this just hours before AEW’s Dynasty pay-per-view is set to start. And whether Swerve Strickland beats Samoa Joe or Joe retains his title is beside the point. I still firmly believe that Swerve should be the AEW World Champion, and I’m going to tell you exactly why.

So I was thinking about Swerve’s promo from a while back where he expressed his desire to be a history maker by becoming the first Black AEW World Champion, and I have to admit, that’s all I needed to hear. As I mentioned in my article, ‘If I May Speak Candidly… Three is Better than One,’ the representation of Black wrestlers in these major wrestling promotions is important for inclusion and for Black viewers, specifically young Black children. I don’t blame AEW for the fact that Swerve could become the first Black World Champion in the company after all of this time because it is still a very new company. And they are making strides in the right direction, so no critique from me.

But to know your future, you have to know your past, and Black world champions have emerged gradually and somewhat inconsistently. It wasn’t until 1998, 16 years after Vince McMahon Jr. bought WWF (now WWE) from his father, Vince McMahon Sr., that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson became WWF World Champion. Almost 20 years passed without a Black World champion in what was (and still is) the biggest wrestling company in the world. Ron Simmons, aka Faarooq, a WWE Hall of Famer, became the first Black WCW World Heavyweight Champion in 1992, defeating Big Van Vader. WWE acknowledges that Simmons is the first Black wrestler EVER in the history of the sport to win a World title—a feat accomplished by WCW in under 5 years of their debut. Bobby Lashley became TNA/Impact World Heavyweight Champion in 2014, making him the first to do it in TNA history, as well as his third world championship reign overall. This only took 12 years after Jeff Jarrett and his brother Jerry founded the wrestling promotion after the dissolution of WCW in 2001.

So, as you can see, history doesn’t have to repeat itself. It shouldn’t take a decade (or in WWE’s case, almost two decades) to crown a Black world champion. In the history books, with pages dedicated to Faarooq, The Rock, and Bobby Lashley, there should definitely be room for Swerve. This opportunity shouldn’t be missed. No offense to Samoa Joe — I like the guy, but he’s held a world or heavyweight title upwards of 17 times.

In a recent interview with Rick Ucchino on iHeart Radio, Strickland expressed even further his desire to win the championship title, addressing criticism and the shifting of goalposts not just as a Black man, but as a Black wrestler. He emphasized that AEW represents “pushing the boundaries” and “challenging the structure of pro wrestling.” With that in mind, I can’t see any reason why he shouldn’t win his match tonight.

That’s what AEW is all about. When I was watching and seeing it from 2021 and 2022 when I came in, it was about pushing those boundaries, challenging the authority of the structure of how pro wrestling is breaking those things a little bit. Creating and making things your own. And proving those Naysayers wrong and doing things your way. And I’ve dealt with a lot of doubt and a lot of criticisms faced, till facing till this day. I still face things to this day so I can relate and see myself in what AEW is. I feel like that relationship is what is bringing me to the forefront of pro wrestling right now. Especially as an African American man, we already face a lot of these certain criticisms with moving goalposts and certain things like which we’ve discussed about. But it’s always been those little talks [that] are there. But it’s to break the mold. And that’s what I’m here to do.

There are so many firsts that we’re still achieving, and while it feels good initially, we eventually realize that we should have already reached the bare minimum of these accomplishments. If Swerve wins the title tonight, it could mean a lot for the up-and-coming Black wrestlers in AEW. Securing the championship would not only inspire hope and dreams of future victories for them but also for all who rally behind them. It’s a symbol of progress, breaking free from inertia, and opening doors to boundless opportunities.