Swerve Strickland and Maxwell Jacob Friedman are two of AEW’s top performers at the moment, with Strickland’s stock continuing to rise while MJF holds the AEW World Championship. It’s been well over a year since Friedman captured that title, and during a recent interview with Going Ringside, Strickland offered his perspective on MJF’s title reign thus far.
“He’s doing a great job at it,” Strickland said. “I always think I can do better. I always at least think I can do different.”
When asked if Strickland sees a match between himself and MJF taking place in 2024, the AEW star responded with a strong affirmative. Strickland even predicted that he would capture the AEW World Championship in the next calendar year.
“If I would’ve got the opportunities that Hangman Page would’ve gotten in my first year, I would’ve been the first African-American AEW World Champion,” Strickland continued. “I do believe that I can still do that. That is the only thing that is on my mind right now.”
Strickland pointed out that if he becomes world champion within the next year, he thinks AEW would be the first promotion to have a Black world champion in the first five years of its existence. The wrestler stated that, regardless of that fact, there’s never been a world champion quite like him in any company before, and Strickland believes he caters to a different demographic than many other performers within the industry.
Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite saw Strickland open the show, facing Rush in the Continental Classic tournament. The match ended with Strickland on top and the AEW star finishing the first round with 12 points – enough to earn him a spot in the semi-finals next week. The finals of the tournament will take place on pay-per-view at AEW Worlds End, taking place on Long Island, New York on December 30.