In a fresh conversation with “Sports Illustrated,” Chris Jericho enthusiastically lauded Swerve Strickland. He characterized the AEW World Champion as a stellar individual and conveyed a positive outlook for his future.
Here are a few exceptional moments from the interview:
Discussing Swerve Strickland’s role as AEW World champion: “This is just his initial venture as a champion and look at the amazing things he’s achieving. I can’t wait to see what he does the second, third, and fourth time around. He’s just oozing star potential. “I can’t imagine how anyone could possibly let him slip away. Swerve and MJF are two individuals I observe and constantly ponder, ‘How did he manage that?’ Swerve has yet to reach the zenith of his character, but he’s already formed this fantastic rapport with the audience. His character is larger than life, he puts in the work, and he’s truly a good person. His vitality is awe-inspiring—the man has the ability to bring the house down. Right now, Swerve is our team lead and I’m honored to be part of the same lineup.”
On his character as the Learning Tree and the associated group: “I’m a dedicated advocate of letting the narrative steer the way, instead of vice versa. This allows room for my evolution. The entire Learning Tree concept aims at leveraging negative responses from social media and garnering reactions. That is the core essence of wrestling—eliciting responses from what you’re doing. There’s a graver side too—notice the brutal thrashing we’ve metered out to Samoa Joe, Hook, and [Katsuyori] Shibata. This tactic has been instrumental in shaping my career and has enabled me to sustain in this industry at the apex for such a long duration that it irks some. This is my calling. I’ve had no intention of becoming a nostalgia act or rely on past achievements. Nor did I ever hesitate to take risks and experiment, reflecting exactly what we’re doing presently.”
Working in tandem with Big Bill and Bryan Keith: “I find Big Bill intriguing—I admired him as Cass and had a desire to collaborate with him. Tony Khan proposed Bryan Keith, thus giving birth to the ‘bad apple’ persona. The synergy is wonderful and we’re shining light on a unique perspective, leading to some interesting narratives. I’ve been accused of overshadowing developing talents. Even if you look back to my last stint in WWE, I was teaming up with Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Seth Rollins. I aimed to provide them an alternate learning avenue, and I gleaned knowledge from them as well. That’s all I’ve been focused on in AEW. Collaborating initially with Hangman, Darby, Scorpio Sky, Jungle Boy, Orange Cassidy, and MJF—who matured into a shrewd and superior wrestler, is what ignites my passion.”