Swerve Strickland, the AEW World Champion, recently appeared on “Drinks With Johnny” podcast and discussed a variety of topics including his unique entrance theme, the autonomy he enjoys in AEW, and more.
Here are some noteworthy excerpts from the podcast:
Discussing his entrance theme ‘Big Pressure’, Strickland said, “AEW never meddled in it. They were like ‘This is Swerve’s creation. He introduced it to us. We’re simply making it available.’”
Regarding the theme song for Hit Row, he noted, “The upside is, it’s mine; the Hit Row track was not. They changed the beat when we moved to ‘Smackdown’… at least with AEW, they acknowledged ‘This is indeed yours.’”
Strickland expressed his enthusiasm for the creative freedom AEW provides wrestlers, stating, “I’d rather you let me carve out my own path than simply waiting for eight to ten years for a turn that might not ever happen until they pick you up and slot you into a preset role.”
He also participated in the “Busted Open Radio” podcast, voicing his readiness to take part in media promotions for AEW.
Key moments from this conversation include:
Strickland spoke about his willingness to do promotional work for AEW: “I am always ready to do media rounds…I’ve always wanted to show myself more, find new ways to interact with people and promote AEW. Even promoting, for me, is an art form – it’s about connecting with people, sharing why this is so important to me, and why it should matter to them too.”
He also touched on his enjoyment of engaging with the media and fans, stating, “This gives me a platform to present my views, potentially changing their perceptions and broadening their understanding. That, to me, is the exciting part – not just to be an influencer, but to truly make an impact.