AEW Champ Swerve Strickland Explains Why This Is The Most Important Time Of His Career

AEW/Lee South

2024 has been the year of Swerve Strickland in AEW, as he is currently riding high as the first-ever Black AEW World Champion. Strickland defeated Samoa Joe at Dynasty on April 21, and hasn't slowed down since, proving that he is the fighting champion he always said he was going to be.

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Strickland was recently a guest on "Busted Open Radio," where he laid out how important this time in his career is compared to years gone by. "This is probably the most important time of my career," Strickland said. "Not just for me and the accomplishment of making history in AEW, but just for the influence outside of it. Being the first and being in the moment where people are really paying so much more attention, kind of like the magnifying glass on you a little bit harder because of the time and the history, and all the importance surrounding the moment of winning at Dynasty and stuff like that."

The AEW World Champion knows the pressure that is on his shoulders as AEW's top guy, which is why he making sure to make his current reign memorable. He could have more reigns as world champion in the future, but as the old saying goes; you never forget your first. "Now following week by week and how I'm moving, how I'm being presented, how I'm performing, everything's just amplified so much more. So this is probably the most important time than say like maybe if I become the four-time champion, the first one, people are always going to come back to the first one no matter what." Strickland rounded off by saying that the way he's moving is a lot more calculated and cautious, but it all comes with the territory of being AEW World Champion.

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Please credit "Busted Open Radio" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.