Swerve Strickland took to the mic following the 2025 AEW Revolution event, sharing his reflections on acquiring a bid for the AEW World Championship at the same event, and sharing his experiences of starring along with wrestling legend Adam “Cope” Copeland.
Below are highlights drawn from Strickland’s thoughts at the post-Revolution media gathering:
On his aspirations for the AEW World Championship: “This moment feels spiritual to me. I made my debut here three years prior at Revolution and was a participant in last year’s Revolution three-way contest for the AEW World Championship. This year at Revolution, I succeeded in winning the #1 contendership for that same title. Since the inaugural Revolution event, I’ve vowed to conquer champions. This was perceived as a bold and audacious statement particularly by those unfamiliar with my background and skills. There was a tangible air of skepticism that night.
“Since then, I have won the Tag Team Championships and had the honor of being a top-billed star at pay-per-view events as World Champion. Being the first Black wrestler to ever headline an event at Wembley Stadium was a huge feat for me. Despite all these achievements, I am still met with skepticism, which only fuels my desire to succeed even more. Revolution has always been the platform where I silence my critics and Dynasty is where I put them to rest.”
On having a moment with Cope post-event: “After the event ended and the broadcast had concluded, encountering Cope in the ring was entirely unexpected. Astonishment was my initial reaction – after all, this was a man I had always revered, my idol in wrestling. What words could I possibly convey to him? My sentiments that evening were genuinely heartfelt. In the midst of it all, I suppose it was a moment of reflection that despite being in the same ring where Copeland himself had created history, I was no longer a starry-eyed Stefan Strickland. The hardships I’ve faced in Texas Deathmatches and the immense physical toll I’ve endured — everything that I survived and learned from was thanks to my idol, Mr. Rated R, right there in the ring. If there were any assumptions that I would soften my approach simply because of my respect for Copeland, they are sorely mistaken. At this junction in my career, complacency doesn’t exist.”
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