While speaking to Fightful for a new interview, Swerve Strickland spoke about his mindset regarding wins in his pro wrestling matches.
The top AEW star noted that he tries to reinvest them and turn them into something bigger for himself. He said,
“To me, thinking about that, calling it validation without having it is like me slowing up before I cross the finish line. I need to burst through. I need to run through the line and still add in another twenty years of just full on sprint. That’s how my work ethic has always been. To even get to here I have to constantly overachieve. I have to exceed expectations. Again, like you said, it was my breakout year. I feel like I’ve had about seven breakout moments in my career. They were saying that since Lucha Underground, MLW, NXT winning the North American title, ‘Oh, this is his breakout year.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, cool.’ Then win the tag titles, ‘Oh, this is his breakout year.’ ‘Alright, cool.’ So it’s always going to keep going because the bar is going to constantly be raised and the expectations is always going to be moved side by side. People have been saying, ‘Cool, he had the tag titles, now what?’ That wasn’t easy to get. That was pretty hard. Then they’re like, ‘Okay, he’s never had any singles titles.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, that’s another expectation I’m going to have to exceed.’ Or, ‘We see him here, we don’t see him there.’ So I’m like, ‘Well, I see myself here. So none of that discussion even matters.’ It’s just constantly always trying to figure out where do I take this and go with it. Once I harness that and I get that, I finally got it, what do I do with that now? Now I gotta take it an invest it again. It’s almost like stock markets. No matter how much money you make, you have to take that and reinvest it to go even higher. Too many people cash out early, then they’re like, ‘Ah, you could have had this.’ That’s how I feel like my career is. If I cash out too early, I’m gonna miss out on all this extra stuff that I could be, all that exceeding expectations feels like I’m not going to exceed it, I’m going to meet it and then like, ‘Ah, man, he was here, but he could have been here.’ So that’s why I’m never like just resting on that kind of stuff. I’m always trying to take my wins, my every type of win, take it, reinvest it, add it to something else and then blow that up bigger. Now I’m taking that same energy and adding it into music and I’m adding it to acting and I’m adding it my podcast. Now I figured out how to make that work on a national scale. Now let’s try to use that here and use that here, and bring in someone that knows how to do it over there. Let’s bring in someone here that knows how to do that here.”
Swerve Strickland, one of the top stars in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), recently spoke about his mindset regarding wins in his pro wrestling matches. In an interview with Fightful, Strickland discussed how he views wins as opportunities to reinvest and turn them into something bigger for himself.
Strickland emphasized the importance of not settling for validation without actually achieving it. He compared it to slowing down before crossing the finish line, stating that he prefers to burst through and continue sprinting for another twenty years. This work ethic has been a driving force throughout his career, constantly pushing him to overachieve and exceed expectations.
The wrestler acknowledged that he has had multiple breakout moments in his career, from his time in Lucha Underground and Major League Wrestling (MLW) to winning the North American title in NXT. However, he understands that each achievement raises the bar and sets new expectations. People may say, “Cool, he had the tag titles, now what?” or “He’s never had any singles titles.” Strickland sees these comments as challenges to surpass and prove himself even further.
Rather than resting on his laurels, Strickland is always looking for ways to take his wins and reinvest them into new ventures. He likens it to the stock market, where making money is not enough; one must reinvest it to achieve even higher returns. He is aware that cashing out early would mean missing out on potential growth and exceeding expectations.
In addition to wrestling, Strickland has expanded his interests into music, acting, and podcasting. He believes that the same energy and drive that propelled him in wrestling can be applied to these other fields. By harnessing his success in wrestling on a national scale, he aims to use it as a platform to explore new opportunities and collaborate with experts in different industries.
Strickland’s mindset reflects his determination to constantly evolve and push boundaries. He understands that success is not a destination but a continuous journey. By reinvesting his wins and constantly seeking new challenges, he aims to maximize his potential and leave a lasting impact on the wrestling industry and beyond.
In conclusion, Swerve Strickland’s mindset regarding wins in his pro wrestling matches is to reinvest them and turn them into something bigger for himself. He believes in constantly overachieving and exceeding expectations, viewing each achievement as a stepping stone to greater success. By taking his wins and reinvesting them into new ventures, Strickland aims to maximize his potential and leave a lasting impact in various industries.