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AEW/Lee South
AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland has been very open about what has influenced him in his life. From horror movies to hip-hop culture, Strickland has pulled from many different medias to create the character that he portrays today. However, his influences in wrestling are a little a more personal.
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When Strickland defeated Samoa Joe at Dynasty in April, he became the first Black World Champion in AEW history, and has vowed to be a beacon of hope for young Black wrestlers around the world as a way of saying 'if I can do it, so can you.' Speaking with Complex, Strickland cited a number of Black wrestlers who have paved the way for people like him, in particular, The New Day. "Those guys gave me love every week and they don't have to," Strickland said. "But I've always made sure to speak out and say 'you guys influenced me.' Kofi Kingston [in particular]. In my own way hopefully I did it justice. Hopefully I did him proud."
Outside of The New Day, Strickland named two other WWE legends as men who he went from calling idols and influences, to peers and colleagues. "I got calls from Mark Henry. MVP gave me a nice warm embrace there," Strickland said. "It's just cool to be in that circle. I can talk to these guys about this because I kind of earned it in that way. Because you always want to be in that conversation in a sense. 'Do I belong in that conversation? No. I really am in that conversation now. So I can talk with them in a different way. We've done it in our own respective eras and times.".
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