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Stephon Strickland (born September 30, 1990) is an American
professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
and rapper. He is signed to
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
(AEW), where he performs under the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
Swerve Strickland. He also appears on the
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
. Strickland began his career in 2008 as Shane Strickland, working for several independent promotions until 2019 such as
Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...
(MLW),
Evolve Wrestling Evolve (stylized all caps) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2010 by former Ring of Honor booker and Dragon Gate USA vice president, Gabe Sapolsky. The company featured a roster of wrestlers from all over America, as ...
, and
Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by John Zandig. Commonly associated with the 2000s hardcore wrestling genre, early CZW shows showcased a brand of wrestling dubbed by the p ...
(CZW). He is a one-time MLW World Heavyweight Champion, one-time Evolve Champion, and one-time
CZW World Heavyweight Champion The CZW World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the professional wrestling promotion Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). It debuted on March 27, 1999 at CZW's The Staple Gun event. ...
. From 2014 until 2018, he performed in
Lucha Underground Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists, United Artists Media Group. ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured List of former Lucha Underground p ...
as a masked wrestler named Killshot. In 2019, he signed a
developmental Development of the human body is the process of growth to maturity. The process begins with fertilization, where an egg released from the ovary of a female is penetrated by a sperm cell from a male. The resulting zygote develops through mitosis ...
contract with
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
, where he worked as Isaiah "Swerve" Scott in NXT and was part of the
Hit Row Hit Row was an American professional wrestling stable consisting of Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, Ashante "Thee" Adonis, Top Dolla, and manager B-Fab. They performed in WWE on the NXT and SmackDown brands. After their release from WWE in November ...
stable; he won the
NXT North American Championship The NXT North American Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended as the secondary men's championship of NXT, the promotion's developmental brand. The current champi ...
once and was soon promoted to the main roster on
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
, but was released in November 2021. Under the ring name Swerve Strickland, he signed with AEW in March 2022, going on to become a one-time
AEW World Champion The AEW World Championship is a men's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Unveiled on May 25, 2019, it is the promotion's top championship and is presented as being ...
and one-time AEW World Tag Team Champion (with Keith Lee). He was the leader of the
Mogul Embassy Mogul Embassy, formerly simply the Embassy, was a villainous professional wrestling stable. Formed by Prince Nana in Ring of Honor (ROH) in 2004, in 2022 the Embassy also began appearing with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). In 2023, the Embassy merg ...
stable until May 2024.


Early life

Stephon Strickland was born in
Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...
, on September 30, 1990. He is the cousin of former
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
linebacker
Fred Strickland Fredrick William Strickland Jr. (born August 15, 1966) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys ...
. His father, who was a sergeant first class cook in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
, moved the family to Germany when Strickland was two months old to live on a U.S. military base in
Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
. Strickland spent the first seven years of his life in Germany. The family later returned to the U.S. and settled in
Mount Joy, Pennsylvania Mount Joy is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,346 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and an estimated 8,323 in 2021. Name and origin The name is often shortened ...
, where he attended
Donegal High School Donegal High School is a public high school located in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the sole high school in the Donegal School District. Attendance was 854 in 2017. History In 1954, Donegal High School was formed by the comb ...
. He danced in talent shows and excelled in
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
,
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
, and
track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
. Shortly after graduating high school, Strickland felt the need to follow in his father's footsteps and enlisted in the
Army Reserve Army Reserve refers to a land-based military reserve force, including: *Army Reserve (Ireland) *Army Reserve (United Kingdom) *Australian Army Reserve *Canadian Army Reserve * New Zealand Army Reserve *United States Army Reserve *United States Navy ...
at the age of 17. He completed his
Basic Training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the unique dema ...
in
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
, then underwent 22 weeks of
Advanced Individual Training United States Army Basic Combat Training (BCT) is the recruit training program of the United States Army, for service in the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve, or the Army National Guard. Some trainees attend basic combat training along with their ...
at
Fort Eisenhower Fort Gordon, formerly known as Fort Eisenhower and Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established southwest of Augusta, Georgia in October 1941. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps, United States Army Cy ...
in
Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...
. He was then stationed in
York, Pennsylvania York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in ...
, where he served as a 25U Signal Support Systems Specialist for eight years. He left the Reserve in 2015.


Professional wrestling career


Training and early career (2008–2012)

Strickland decided to become a
professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
when he was 18 years old. He began training at Ground Xero (Zero) Wrestling Training Academy in August 2008, doing so while still serving in the United States Army Reserve. He soon began getting bookings around the
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
and
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
areas. He had Army Reserve commitments in
York, Pennsylvania York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in ...
, which obliged him to wrestle only in that general area's
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
in the early years of his career. In September 2011, Strickland made his first appearance with the
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...
, losing to Phil Brown. In March 2012, he defeated Alex Payne in his debut for
East Coast Wrestling Association East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 1967 by promoter Jim Kettner. It is home to the annual Super 8 Tournament, one of the longest-running independent wrestling tournaments in the co ...
. He would go to debut for
World Xtreme Wrestling World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW) was a Florida-based independent circuit, independent professional wrestling promotion which has held events across the United States and toured in Japan, the Middle East and South Pacific region including American S ...
in a six-man match on September 15, 2012.


Combat Zone Wrestling (2012–2017, 2019)

Strickland made his
Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by John Zandig. Commonly associated with the 2000s hardcore wrestling genre, early CZW shows showcased a brand of wrestling dubbed by the p ...
(CZW) debut on February 4, 2012, in a dark match. On March 10, 2012, at Aerial Assault, Strickland participated in the main event, a Best Of The Best 11 Qualifying Aerial Assault Elimination Match won by
Samuray del Sol Emanuel Alejandro Rodriguez (born November 14, 1986) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, currently performing on the independent circuit under the ring name Samuray Del Sol. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he worked with the ...
. On November 10, 2012, at Night of Infamy 11, Strickland participated in a CZW Wired TV Open Challenge, but was defeated by the champion A. R. Fox. At Best of the Best 12, Strickland participated in the Best of the Best tournament, but he was defeated in the first round by Alex Colon. On September 14, 2013, at Down with the Sickness, Strickland participated in the main event a Chris Cash Memorial Fatal 4 Way Ladder match for the CZW Wired TV Championship, but the match was won by Colon. At Cage of Death XV, Colon defeated Strickland in a title match. On March 8, 2014, at High Stakes, Strickland defeated the CZW Wired Champion Devon Moore to win the title for the first time. At Best of the Best XIII, Strickland retained the title against Moore in a Ladder match. Then, Strickland started a feud with
Joe Gacy Joseph Ruby (born August 8, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. As of August 2020, he is signed to WWE, on the WWE SmackDown, SmackDown brand, where he performs under the ring name Joe Gacy and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks faction. Gac ...
. At Dojo Wars 6, Strickland lost the title against Gacy. However, Strickland regained the title two weeks later at Dojo Wars 7. In October 2014, Strickland participated in the World Triangle Tournament, a tournament held by Westside Xtreme Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling and Big Japan Pro-Wrestling. Strickland ended with 3 point in the Block B. Finally, at Cage of Death XVI, Gacy defeated Strickland for the title. After a lengthy absence in which he wrestled for WXW in Germany, Strickland made a one-time appearance in 2015 in a victory over David Starr. In 2016, Strickland had an acclaimed series of matches with
Dezmond Xavier Deveon Everhart Aikens (born November 2, 1988) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT and Evolve brands under the ring name Wes Lee and is the leader of The High Ryze stable. He is a former one-t ...
and in the 2017 Best of the Best tournament, he made it to the finals before losing to
Dave Crist The Crist Brothers were an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers David Crist Jr. and John Crist, who are best known by their ring names Dave Crist and Jake Crist. They are best known for their time with Impact Wrestling ...
. In July that same year, he then went on to defeat Gacy,
Lio Rush Lionel Gerard Green (born November 11, 1994), better known by the ring name Lio Rush, is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is one-half of CRU with Action Andretti. He also performs ...
, and
Davey Richards Wesley David Richards (born March 1, 1983), best known under the ring name Davey Richards, is a retired American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Best known for his time in Impact Wrestling, TNA Wrestling and Ring of Honor, and for ...
in a 4-way to win the
CZW World Heavyweight Championship The CZW World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the professional wrestling promotion Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). It debuted on March 27, 1999 at CZW's The Staple Gun event ...
for the first time. He held on to the title until November before losing to Gacy, who then immediately lost the title to
Rickey Shane Page Rickey Shane Page (born March 1, 1984) is an American professional wrestler. He currently wrestles on the independent circuit. Page started out as a backyard wrestler before making the transition to professional wrestling, where he was trained ...
. Page then challenged both men to a Cage Of Death match for the title, which Strickland was unsuccessful at winning. Strickland's final appearance in CZW was at CZW Twenty, in a victory against KC Navarro.


Independent circuit (2012–2019)

On May 5, 2012, Strickland made his debut for
Evolve Wrestling Evolve (stylized all caps) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2010 by former Ring of Honor booker and Dragon Gate USA vice president, Gabe Sapolsky. The company featured a roster of wrestlers from all over America, as ...
, where he teamed with Latin Dragon to defeat DMC and Nate Carter. On August 4, 2018, Strickland defeated
Matt Riddle Matthew Fredrick Riddle (born January 14, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he is the reigning MLW World Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He ...
to win the
Evolve Championship The Evolve Championship was a men's professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship that was created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion Evolve (professional wrestling), Evolve. The ...
at Evolve 108. At Evolve 114 he lost the championship to NXT's
Fabian Aichner Fabian Aichner (born 21 July 1990) is an Italian professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Giovanni Vinci. Aichner signed with WWE in 2017 and joined the group Imperium, becoming a two-t ...
, ending his three-month reign. Strickland wrestled NXT's
Kassius Ohno William Christopher Spradlin (born December 24, 1979), better known by his ring name Chris Hero, is an American professional wrestler and trainer. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer. Hero has worked for a number of indepen ...
at Evolve 116 on November 10, 2018, in a losing effort. After not appearing for three months, Strickland returned to Evolve at Evolve 121 on February 15, 2019, to face NXT's
Adam Cole Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989), known by the ring name Adam Cole, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of The Paragon (professional wrestling), ...
. He would be defeated by Cole and the following night he would defeat A. R. Fox. He faced JD Drake at Evolve 126 for the
WWN Championship The WWN Championship was a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship promoted by the WWNLive governing body. The inaugural champion was crowned on April 1, 2017, when Matthew Riddle, Matt Riddle defeated five othe ...
in a match he lost. In 2016, Strickland made his debut in Germany for
Westside Xtreme Wrestling Westside Xtreme Wrestling, commonly shortened to wXw, is a German professional wrestling promotion based in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. wXw has been one of the leading professional wrestling promotions in Germany, and most of its event ...
(wXw), taking part in the 16 Carat Gold tournament and later their World Tag Team League, which he won alongside David Starr. They beat many established teams such as,
Angélico Adam Bridle (born 7 May 1987), better known by the ring name Angélico ( ), is a South African professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his work in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), Lucha Underground and ...
and Jack Evans, Ringkampf (
Timothy Thatcher Timothy Andrew Moura (born March 17, 1983), better known by the ring name Timothy Thatcher, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a trainer for the WWE ID program and as in-ring performer on the Evolve brand; he is best ...
and
Walter Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...
),
Moustache Mountain Moustache Mountain was a British professional wrestling tag team consisting of Trent Seven and Tyler Bate, Bate is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the Raw brand and Seven worked for WWE until his release in August 2022. They are one- ...
(
Tyler Bate Tyler Bate (born 7 March 1997) is an English professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE where he performs on the Raw brand and is one of the two members of New Catch Republic, performing alongside Pete Dunne. In 2017, he became the inaugur ...
and
Trent Seven Benjamin Maurice Webb (born 21 August 1981), known by the ring name Trent Seven, is an English Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Promoter (entertainment), wrestling promoter. He has worked for WWE, where he performed on their NXT ...
) and The Leaders of the New School (
Marty Scurll Martin Scurll (born 26 July 1988) is an English professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Ring of Honor (ROH). Scurll began his career in 2005, working on the British independent circuit. In 2012, he competed on the TNA's show TNA Wres ...
and
Zack Sabre Jr. Lucas James Uggles Eatwell (born 24 July 1987), known by his ring name and its abbreviated form ZSJ, is an English-born professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is the second and current leader of the ...
). Shane Strickland would challenge
Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (born June 30, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. As of April 2022, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is also known for co-fou ...
, at the inaugural Defy event, Defy1 in a loss. During 2017's
WrestleMania 33 WrestleMania 33 was a 2017 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 33rd annual WrestleMania and took place on April 2, 2017, at Camping Wo ...
three-day weekend, he wrestled seven matches for five different promotions, including four in one day. On August 25, 2018, Strickland appeared at Triplemanía XXVI. He and A. C. H. appeared at that event to represent
Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...
through the MLW and AAA partnership. They were in a Four-way match for the
AAA World Cruiserweight Championship The AAA World Cruiserweight Championship () is a professional wrestling championship contested for in the Mexican lucha libre promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). The championship cannot be competed for by anyone who is over the Cruiserweig ...
. Strickland would fail to capture the championship. On March 23, 2019, Strickland competed for
The Crash Lucha Libre The Crash Lucha Libre, also referred to as simply The Crash, is a (Mexican professional wrestling) promotion based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The promotion largely runs its events in Tijuana, Mexico City, and Monterrey Monterrey ...
in fatal-4-way for The Crash Cruiserweight Championship. Strickland won the PCW Ultra Light Heavyweight Championship on March 26, 2018. Two months later at their next event he defended against Douglas James with
Ricky Steamboat Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promo ...
as the guest referee. He finished the year with successful defenses against Dragon Lee,
Flip Gordon Travis Gordon Lopes Jr. (born December 12, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, where he performs under the ring name Flip Gordon and is the current NWA World Historic Middleweigh ...
,
Rey Horus Rey Horus is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler. Formerly he wrestled for Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Ring Of Honor (ROH). He was also known as the second El Hijo de Rey Misterio, Spanish for "The Son of R ...
and
Darby Allin Samuel Ratsch (born January 7, 1993), better known by the ring name Darby Allin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is a former two-time AEW TNT Championship, AEW TNT Champion and a former AEW Wo ...
, among others. On December 7, 2018, Strickland defeated
Pentagon Jr. In geometry, a pentagon () is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simple or self-intersecting. A self-intersecting ''regular pentagon'' (or ''star pentagon'') is cal ...
for the PCW Ultra Heavyweight Championship, becoming a double champion as he was still holding the Light Heavyweight Championship. He would vacate the Light Heavyweight Championship shortly after, and he defended the Ultra Heavyweight Championship at their A2K19 event on January 18, 2019, against
Brian Cage Brian Christopher Joseph ButtonDEFY Wrestling DEFY Wrestling is an American Independent circuit, independent professional wrestling promotion based out of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. DEFY was created in 2017 after founders Jim Perry and Matt Farmer successfully petitioned the Wa ...
event, indicating he will soon be signing with a major company. At Wrestle Summit 2019, he appeared as PCW Ultra roster member. At the event he lost his PCW Ultra Heavyweight Championship to
Mil Muertes Mil, mil, or MIL may refer to: Places * Mil, Syria, a village in Syria * Mil, Azerbaijan, a municipality in Beylagan Rayon * Mil, Markazi, a village in Markazi Province, Iran * Metropolitan area of Milan ( IATA code: MIL), Italy (Milan is city ...
. Following Wrestle Summit, Strickland revealed that on April 6, he will wrestle for Wrestling Revolver at WrestleCon's Pancakes and Piledrivers event. In the match, he teamed with
Joe Gacy Joseph Ruby (born August 8, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. As of August 2020, he is signed to WWE, on the WWE SmackDown, SmackDown brand, where he performs under the ring name Joe Gacy and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks faction. Gac ...
and
Eddie Kingston Edward Moore (born December 12, 1981), better known by the ring name Eddie Kingston, is an American professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is out of in-ring action because of a leg injury, but continues to mak ...
to face-off against
oVe Ove or OVE may refer to People *Ove (given name) *Ové, a surname * Alexander Ovechkin (born 1985), Russian ice hockey player, nicknamed Ové Places *Ove Peak in Antarctica Other uses *A Man Called Ove (novel), ''A Man Called Ove'' (novel), a no ...
, in what was promoted as his last match on the independent circuit.


Lucha Underground (2014–2018)

Strickland participated in
El Rey Network El Rey Network (Spanish for ''The King'') is a media brand founded by Robert Rodriguez on December 15, 2013, that is currently owned in a joint venture with FactoryMade Ventures. Until December 31, 2020, El Rey was a cable and satellite network ...
professional wrestling television series ''
Lucha Underground Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists, United Artists Media Group. ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured List of former Lucha Underground p ...
''. Strickland became a central character on Lucha Underground, as one of a small group of characters to appear in every season. His friend Ricochet being on the show led to him sending Konnan some of his demo tapes in late 2014. This led to a tryout match with
Willie Mack Willie McClinton Jr. (born January 5, 1987) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Willie Mack, currently appearing in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, Juggalo Championship Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling, Major League Wres ...
and him later being signed by the company. He portrayed the character of Lt. Jermaine Strickland, a military vet who carries dog tags to honor the memories of his fallen comrades and wrestled under a mask as Killshot. During the first season, he aligned with Big Ryck and
Willie Mack Willie McClinton Jr. (born January 5, 1987) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Willie Mack, currently appearing in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, Juggalo Championship Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling, Major League Wres ...
and participated in a tournament for the LU Trios Championship, but they were defeated in the finales by the eventual winners
Angélico Adam Bridle (born 7 May 1987), better known by the ring name Angélico ( ), is a South African professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his work in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), Lucha Underground and ...
, Son of Havoc and Ivelisse. Following the first season, Strickland asked head writer Chris DeJoseph if he could write some background and story for his character. This led to it having more military elements. In Season 2, had a feud with Marty Martinez after Marty stole his dog tags after a match between them ended in a no contest. Their feud ended in a Weapon of Mass Destruction match, where Killshot defeated Martinez. After the match, Killshot started a storyline when he received a letter from A. R. Fox, a former brother in arms who Killshot left for dead in battle. They faced each other at Ultima Lucha Tres Part I in a Hell of War match where Killshot won.
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
called it "one of the most brutal contests to ever be televised in professional wrestling." Two weeks later, The Mack reunited Killshot and Fox and won the Trios Championship. During Season 4, Killshot had a feud with Son of Havoc which culminated at Ultima Lucha Cuatro in a mask vs mask match. After losing the match, Killshot surrendered his mask to Son of Havoc and revealed his identity as Lt. Jermaine Strickland. As he was leaving the temple, he apologized to Dante Fox and asked to be relieved of duty. Being granted permission, Killshot exited the Lucha Underground temple.


Major League Wrestling (2017–2019, 2022)

On October 5, 2017, Strickland debuted in the main event of
Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...
's 2017 rebirth show One Shot by defeating
Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...
. On April 12, 2018, Strickland defeated
Matt Riddle Matthew Fredrick Riddle (born January 14, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he is the reigning MLW World Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He ...
at one of MLW's first major shows, to win an eight-man tournament and the vacant
MLW World Heavyweight Championship The MLW World Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by Major League Wrestling (MLW). It is the promotion's principal championship. The championship was established on June 15, 2002 at the Genesis and was ...
. He lost the title to wrestler
Low Ki Brandon Silvestry (born September 6, 1979) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Low Ki. He is known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Major ...
after Strickland had a few successful defenses, with his reign lasting 91 days. Following that he feuded with
Sami Callihan Samuel Alton Johnston (born September 1, 1987), better known by the ring name Sami Callihan, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and promoter. He is signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestlin ...
, which ended in a street fight won by Strickland. They also participated in a War Games match in September 2018, where Callihan attacked Strickland during his entrance, removing him from the match. This was reportedly done to write him off television if contract negotiations changed. On episode 32 of MLW's weekly program ''
MLW Fusion ''MLW Fusion'' is an American professional wrestling streaming television program produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW) that premiered on April 20, 2018. Originally airing on beIN Sports USA, ''Fusion'' moved to MLW's YouTube channel in 202 ...
'', Strickland faced Low Ki in rematch for the Heavyweight title. However, after a distraction, Ki "ripped" out some of Strickland's hair and rolled him up for the win. After the match, Strickland grabbed a microphone and begun a
worked shoot A shoot in professional wrestling is any unplanned, unscripted, or real-life occurrence within a wrestling event. It is a carny term shortened from "straight shooting", which originally referred to a gun in a carnival target shooting game that ...
towards MLW management turning
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
in the process. He mentioned owner Court Bauer and blamed management for his bad luck as of late. He ended the promo with, "As of right now, I am terminating my contract and I'm.." as his microphone got cut off. Strickland proceeded to throw trash at the MLW employees that were confronting him, he fliped off one of them and hopped the rail into the audience and left. They followed this up two weeks later on ''Fusion'' with a scene of Strickland and Court Bauer arguing behind his closed office door. After this, it was stated he was "contractly obligated" to appear at the December 13, 2018, MLW event, Never Say Never. At the event he was defeated by
CMLL Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as (EMLL) (''Mexican Wrestling Enterprise''). Founded in 1933, it is the oldest profe ...
luchador Rush. This match aired on ''MLW Fusion'' on January 18, 2019. Strickland opened the show with a heel promo disparaging the fans and the city until he was interrupted by Rush. This would be Strickland's last regular appearance in MLW. On January 15, 2019, Strickland stated on Twitter that he was now a free agent. Strickland returned to MLW in March, 2022 at Intimidation Games, appearing as the mystery opponent for Myron Reed's
MLW World Middleweight Championship The MLW World Middleweight Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#Weight class championships, championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion Major League Wres ...
in a losing effort, and aligning himself with Azteca Underground's Cesar Duran.


WWE (2019–2021)

On April 17, 2019, it was announced that he signed a contract with
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
and begun working at their
Performance Center WWE Performance Center (WWE PC) is a group of professional wrestling schools owned by American company WWE. They serve as tryout and training facilities for WWE, and also contain sports science and medical facilities as well as live events and p ...
, and his ring name was changed to Isaiah "Swerve" Scott. He wrestled his debut match against
Cameron Grimes Trevor Lee Caddell (born September 30, 1993) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE as Cameron Grimes and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Impact Wrestling as Trevor Lee. Caddell mad ...
, a dark match that took place before the May 1 NXT television tapings. In June, it was announced that Scott would compete in a tournament named
NXT Breakout Tournament The NXT Breakout Tournament is a professional wrestling single elimination tournament produced by WWE for the NXT brand. It was first introduced in 2019 and features eight wrestlers who are new arrivals on NXT (usually WWE Performance Center recr ...
, where he made his debut on the July 3 episode of '' NXT'', but lost to Cameron Grimes in the first round of the tournament. On the July 23 episode of ''
205 Live ''WWE 205 Live'' is an American professional wrestling streaming television program that was produced by WWE. It premiered on November 29, 2016, as a replacement for ''WWE Superstars'', and ended on February 11, 2022. The show originally aired e ...
'', he debuted on the
brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...
by losing to Cruiserweight Champion
Drew Gulak Drew Gulak (born April 28, 1987) is an American professional wrestler currently performing on the independent circuit. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he was a former one-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion and eight-time WWE 24/7 Ch ...
. At Worlds Collide on January 25, 2020, Scott challenged for the Cruiserweight Championship in a fatal four way match against
Travis Banks Travis Bligh (born 15 February 1987), better known by his ring name Travis Banks, is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE on their NXT UK brand. He is also known for competing in promotions such as Fight Clu ...
,
Jordan Devlin Jordan Devlin (born 15 March 1990) is an Irish professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name JD McDonagh and is a member of The Judgment Day. In WWE, he is a World Tag Team Champion and ...
, and then-champion
Angel Garza Humberto Garza Solano (born September 23, 1992) is a Mexican professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Angel (shortened from his previous ring name Angel Garza). He is one-half of Los ...
, but was unsuccessful. On April 12, Scott was announced as a participant in a tournament to determine the interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion, representing Group B in the tournament, where he was defeated by
Akira Tozawa Akira Tozawa (戸澤 陽, ''Tozawa Akira'', born July 22, 1985) is a Japanese professional wrestler. As of 2016, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and is a member of the Alpha Academy St ...
and
Gentleman Jack Gallagher Oliver Westfield Claffey (born 7 January 1990), better known by the ring name Jack Gallagher and most recently Jack Claffey, is an English mixed martial artist and a former professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he pe ...
, but was able to defeat
El Hijo del Fantasma Jorge Luis Alcantar Bolly (born April 30, 1984), is a Mexican professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Santos Escobar and is the leader o ...
(who had also worked for Lucha Underground under the name King Cuerno), leaving him with one win in the tournament, thus failing to advance to the finals. Scott then began feuding with Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar, El Hijo del Fantasma's new ring name, after Scott claimed to be the only one who has pinned Escobar. On the August 26 episode of ''NXT'', Scott challenged Escobar for the title but lost after Escobar hit him with a loaded mask. On the September 1 episode of ''NXT Super Tuesday'', Scott and Breezango (
Tyler Breeze Mattias Clement (born January 19, 1988) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under the ring name Tyler Breeze as a member of the UpUpDownDown channel and as a writer for the NXT brand. He also wrestles on the independent ...
and
Fandango Fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple metre, triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, tambourine or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is u ...
) defeated Legado del Fantasma in a Six-Man Street Fight after Scott once again pinned Escobar, thus earning Scott a title shot at NXT TakeOver: 31. At the event, he lost to Escobar. Scott then entered the
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is an annual professional wrestling tag team tournament held by the American promotion WWE, and is featured on its NXT brand, having first been established in 2015. In subsequent years, wrestlers from the NXT U ...
tournament, where he was paired with
Jake Atlas Kenny Sanchez Marquez (born October 5, 1994), known by his ring name Jake Atlas, is an American former professional wrestler known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and WWE. Professional wrestling career As a native resident of Los Angel ...
, but the two were eliminated from the tournament by the eventual winner MSK (
Nash Carter Zachary Green (born April 29, 1994), better known by his ring name Zachary Wentz, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a member of The Rascalz tag team. He also makes appearances ...
and
Wes Lee Deveon Everhart Aikens (born November 2, 1988) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT and Evolve brands under the ring name Wes Lee and is the leader of The High Ryze stable. He is a former one-t ...
) and following the match, argued with one another. On the February 17, 2021, episode of ''NXT'', Scott attacked
Leon Ruff Dartanyon Ruffin is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE where he performed under the ring name Leon Ruff, and was a one-time NXT North American Champion. Professional wrestling career Evolve (2018–2020) ...
after losing a match to him, turning
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
in the process. At NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver, Scott would participated in a 6 Way match, where he eliminated Ruff and Cameron Grimes but would be last person eliminated in the match by
Bronson Reed Jermaine Haley (born 25 August 1988) is an Australian professional wrestler. , he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Bronson Reed. In WWE, he is a former NXT North American Champion and the winner of the ...
. On the May 4 episode of ''NXT'', Scott defeated Ruff in a Falls Count Anywhere match after
A. J. Francis Anthony Joseph Francis (born May 7, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and former football player. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former one-time TNA Digital Media Champion and Canadian Internation ...
interfered on Scott's behalf. The following week, Scott was joined by Francis (who was now called Top Dolla), Tehuti Miles (now called
Ashante "Thee" Adonis Tehuti Miles (born November 23, 1992) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Ashante "Thee" Adonis. Early life Miles was born in Hammonton, New Jersey. Miles enliste ...
) and Briana Brandy (now
B-FAB Briana Brandy (born November 22, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and musician. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name B-Fab. Early life Briana Brandy was born on November 22, 1990 in Cant ...
), forming the stable
Hit Row Hit Row was an American professional wrestling stable consisting of Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, Ashante "Thee" Adonis, Top Dolla, and manager B-Fab. They performed in WWE on the NXT and SmackDown brands. After their release from WWE in November ...
. On the June 29 episode of ''NXT'', Scott defeated Bronson Reed to win the
NXT North American Championship The NXT North American Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended as the secondary men's championship of NXT, the promotion's developmental brand. The current champi ...
, his first title in his WWE career. As part of the 2021 Draft, Scott along with the rest of Hit Row, were drafted to the
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...
. On the October 12 episode of ''NXT'', he defeated Santos Escobar to retain his NXT North American championship, only to lose to
Carmelo Hayes Christian Brigham (born August 1, 1994) is an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Carmelo Hayes. He ...
, ending his 105-day reign. On November 4, B-Fab was released from her WWE contract, shortening the group. Two weeks later on November 18, Scott was released from his WWE contract along with Adonis and Dolla.


Return to the independent circuit (2022–present)

On February 13, 2022, Strickland made his return to DEFY Wrestling after three years, confronting
Darby Allin Samuel Ratsch (born January 7, 1993), better known by the ring name Darby Allin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is a former two-time AEW TNT Championship, AEW TNT Champion and a former AEW Wo ...
and
Nick Wayne Nicholas Wayne Finley (born July 10, 2005) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Nick Wayne. He is a member of The Patriarchy (professional ...
. On October 8 at DEFY City of Thorns, Strickland defeated
Christopher Daniels Christopher Daniel Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he works as the Head of Ta ...
to become the new interim DEFY World Champion. On November 26 at DEFY Fightwave, Strickland won a six-way
ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...
to become the undisputed DEFY World Champion, officially starting his third reign holding the title. On April 8, 2023 at DEFY The Realest, Strickland lost the title to Nick Wayne, ending his reign at 133 days. Strickland made an appearance at the House of Glory (HOG) event ''High Intensity'' on July 26, 2024, defeating
Amazing Red Jonathan Figueroa (born April 26, 1982), better known by his ring name Amazing Red, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler and promoter. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former three-time X ...
.


New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2022)

Strickland, under the ring name "SW3RVE", made his debut for
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...
on the March 12, 2022, edition of ''
NJPW Strong NJPW Strong is a brand name utilized by Japanese professional wrestling promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and its New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America (NJoA) subsidiary. In its original incarnation, ''NJPW Strong'' was the name of a weekly ...
'' by accepting
Jay White Jamie White (born 9 October 1992), better known by the ring name Jay White, is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Bullet Club sub-group Bang Bang Gang. White is a former ...
's open challenge. He was defeated in the match.


All Elite Wrestling (2022–present)


Swerve In Our Glory and Mogul Affiliates (2022–2023)

On March 6, 2022, Strickland signed with
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
(AEW), debuting under the new name Swerve Strickland at the
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
event. He made his in-ring debut for AEW on the March 11 episode of ''Rampage'', defeating
Tony Nese Anthony Nese (born August 6, 1985) is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He also appears for AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor, where he is a member of The Premier Athletes stable. He is best known for his ...
. The following week, Strickland aligned himself with Keith Lee in a feud with
Team Taz Team Taz, alternately called Team FTW, was an American professional wrestling stable signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). They were named after Taz, the leader and manager of the group. History On the July 21, 2020 episode of ''AEW Dark'', Ri ...
(
Powerhouse Hobbs William Hobson (born January 23, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Powerhouse Hobbs and is a member of The Opps. He is one-third of the current AEW World ...
and
Ricky Starks Richard Starks (born February 21, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Ricky Saints. Starks is known for his time in All El ...
). Strickland and Lee would then begin tag teaming, dubbing themselves "Swerve In Our Glory". In April 2022, Strickland made his debut for AEW's sister promotion,
Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...
(ROH), defeating
Alex Zayne Alex Zayne Brandenburg (born October 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler primarily working on the independent circuit under the ring name Alex Zayne. He is best known for his tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He has also ap ...
at Supercard of Honor XV. At ''Dynamite'': Fyter Fest Night 1 on July 13, Swerve In Our Glory defeated defending champions
The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...
and Team Taz in a Triple or Nothing match to win the
AEW World Tag Team Championship The AEW World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It is a standard tag team championship, being contested by teams of two wr ...
. They had successful title defenses against the likes of
The Lucha Brothers The Lucha Brothers were a Mexican professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Penta and Rey Fénix. They are signed to WWE, where Penta performs on the Raw brand while Fénix performs on the SmackDown brand. They are appeared in All ...
and the
Gunn Club The Gunns are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of real-life brothers Austin and Colten Gunn, who are the sons of professional wrestler Billy Gunn. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH), where they are m ...
(
Colten Colten is a given name. Notable people with the name include: People *Colten Boushie (1993–2016), Indigenous homicide victim *Colten Brewer (born 1992), American baseball player *Colton Gunn (born 1991), American wrestler *Colten Hayes (born ...
and
Austin Gunn Austin Sopp (born August 26, 1994), better known by the ring name Austin Gunn, is an American professional wrestler and reality television personality, signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH) where he is in a tag team with hi ...
). They would then enter a three match series with The Acclaimed ( Max Caster and
Anthony Bowens Anthony Bowens (born December 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a former one-time AEW World Tag Team Champion and one-time and longest reigning AEW World Trios Champion as a f ...
), defeating them at All Out, losing the belts to them in a rematch at '' Dynamite: Grand Slam'', and losing to them once more at Full Gear after Strickland slapped Lee when Lee refused to use
pliers Pliers are a hand tool used to hold objects firmly, possibly developed from tongs used to handle hot metal in Bronze Age Europe. They are also useful for bending and physically compressing a wide range of materials. Generally, pliers consi ...
as a weapon, causing Lee to walk out on the match. The following month, at the ROH event
Final Battle Final Battle is a professional wrestling event, held annually by the Ring of Honor promotion. The event was initially held in 2002. It is held in December, and is the promotion's last show of the calendar year. The 2009 edition of the show was ...
, Swerve In Our Glory faced Shane Taylor Promotions. During the match, Strickland followed suit, walking out on Lee after a sequence of friendly fire attacks between the two, causing Lee to narrowly defeat Shane Taylor Promotions. On the December 21, 2022, edition of ''Dynamite'', Strickland turned on Lee, forming a new stable, "Mogul Affiliates", with
Parker Boudreaux Parker Boudreaux (born March 9, 1998) is an American professional wrestler. He is primarily working for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide and Gleat. He also worked for WWE as Harland, and All Elite Wrestling under his real name. Early life Boudreaux w ...
, Granden Goetzman (Later named Trench), and the rapper
Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...
. Strickland feuded with Lee until March 2023, when he and Boudreaux lost to Lee and
Dustin Rhodes Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes, with a nickname of "The Natural" and is a member of The Sons of ...
.


Mogul Embassy and AEW World Champion (2023–2024)

In April 2023, Mogul Affiliates merged with
Prince Nana Nana Osei Bandoh (born August 1, 1979), better known by his ring name, Prince Nana, is an American professional wrestling manager and former professional wrestler of Ghanaian descent. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he serves a ...
's stable The Embassy to create
Mogul Embassy Mogul Embassy, formerly simply the Embassy, was a villainous professional wrestling stable. Formed by Prince Nana in Ring of Honor (ROH) in 2004, in 2022 the Embassy also began appearing with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). In 2023, the Embassy merg ...
. Strickland began a feud with
Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...
and
Darby Allin Samuel Ratsch (born January 7, 1993), better known by the ring name Darby Allin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is a former two-time AEW TNT Championship, AEW TNT Champion and a former AEW Wo ...
, starting when Allin defeated Strickland on the April 12 edition of ''Dynamite''. On May 28 at
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
, Stickland competed in the 21-man Blackjack
Battle Royal Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...
for the
AEW International Championship The AEW International Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#Location-specific championships, championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion All E ...
, but was lastly eliminated by
Orange Cassidy James Cipperly (born May 4, 1984), better known by his ring name Orange Cassidy, is an American professional wrestler and Glossary of professional wrestling terms#school, wrestling trainer. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is ...
, who retained the title. Strickland received a match for the title on the June 7 edition of ''Dynamite'', but lost when he was defeated by Cassidy. After the match, Strickland and The Mogul Embassy attacked Cassidy only to be chased off by Allin and Sting. The following month, Strickland was forced to reteam with Keith Lee in the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament, but the duo were quickly eliminated by Allin and Cassidy. The following week, Strickland defeated Allin's protege and rival on the independent scene
Nick Wayne Nicholas Wayne Finley (born July 10, 2005) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Nick Wayne. He is a member of The Patriarchy (professional ...
. On the July 26 edition of ''Dynamite'', Strickland avenged his loss to Allin, by defeating him. The feud further intensified when Allin's ally, AR Fox betrayed Allin, joining The Mogul Embassy. On August 23, Strickland and Fox lost to Allin and Wayne, causing Strickland to kick Fox out of Mogul Embassy, ending their short term alliance, ahead of the duo's match against Allin and Sting at All In. Soon after,
Christian Cage William Jason Reso (born November 30, 1973) is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Christian Cage and is the leader of The Patriarch ...
was announced as Fox's replacement as Strickland's partner at the event. On August 27, 2023, at All In, Strickland and Cage lost to Allin and Sting in a coffin match, after Strickland was shut in the coffin. Strickland returned, for the first time since being placed in the coffin at All In, on the September 6 edition of ''Dynamite'', confronting
"Hangman" Adam Page Stephen Blake Woltz (born July 27, 1991), better known by his ring name "Hangman" Adam Page, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a former AEW World Champion and AEW ...
. Strickland berated Page, claiming that if we was given the same opportunities as him, he would be the "first black
AEW World Champion The AEW World Championship is a men's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Unveiled on May 25, 2019, it is the promotion's top championship and is presented as being ...
". Upon further mocking Page, Mogul Embassy member Brian Cage ambushed Page. The following week, Strickland once again confronted Page during his match with Brian Cage. Following Page's victory, Strickland challenged him to a match at WrestleDream on October 1. Before Page could respond, Cage attacked him, though he was saved by The Young Bucks. The feud intensified at Rampage: Grand Slam, where The Elite (Page and The Young Bucks) defeated Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage, Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun) to win the
ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship The ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion. It is defended by three-man tag teams, also referred to as trios. The current champions are The Sons o ...
. On the September 27 edition of ''Dynamite'', Strickland and Page met in the ring for a contract signing to confirm their match at WrestleDream. The two insulted one another, leading to Page stabbing Strickland's hand with a pen. On October 1 at WrestleDream in Strickland's home state of
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
, Strickland defeated Page. On November 18 at Full Gear, Strickland defeated Page in a Texas Deathmatch. The match was acclaimed and but received backlash and some mainstream media attention for a moment in which Page cut open Strickland's forehead and drank his blood. Strickland stated that telling people to avoid watching the match would have the opposite effect, and compared it to telling children not to go and see "a new insane horror movie". Strickland participated in the first
Continental Classic The Continental Classic (C2) is an annual professional wrestling round-robin tournament hosted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The tournament is held at the end of the calendar year, beginning after November's AEW Full Gear, ...
tournament, where he finished joint top of his block with 12 points, allowing him to advance to the semifinal round. In the semifinal round, Strickland lost in a triple threat match to
Jon Moxley Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Championship, AEW World Champion in his ...
, eliminating him from the tournament. On December 30 at Worlds End, Strickland was originally scheduled to face Keith Lee; as Lee was not medically cleared to compete, he was replaced by
Dustin Rhodes Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes, with a nickname of "The Natural" and is a member of The Sons of ...
, who Strickland defeated. On the February 7, 2024, episode of ''Dynamite'', Strickland wrestled Adam Page with the winner facing
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...
for the AEW World Championship at
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
. However, their match went to a 30-minute time limit draw; as a result, both men were declared number one contenders with Joe in turn scheduled to defend the AEW World Championship against both in a three-way match, which was won by Joe. At Dynasty, Strickland defeated Samoa Joe to capture the AEW World Championship. By defeating Samoa Joe, Strickland became the first recognized African-American AEW World Champion. On the April 27 episode of ''
AEW Collision ''AEW Collision'', also known as ''Saturday Night Collision'' or simply ''Collision'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It airs live every Saturday at 8 p.m. ...
'', Strickland defeated
Claudio Castagnoli Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Death Riders and a former AEW World Trios Championship, AEW World Trios Champion. He also per ...
in his first title defense. On the May 1 episode of ''Dynamite'', Strickland's opponent at
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
on May 26 was revealed to be Christian Cage. On the May 8 episode of ''Dynamite'', Strickland was assaulted by Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun, and Toa Liona, resulting in the disbanding of Mogul Embassy. On May 26 at the event, Strickland successfully defended the AEW World Championship against Christian Cage. On June 30 at
Forbidden Door Forbidden Door or ''The Forbidden Door'' may refer to: * ''The Forbidden Door'', professional wrestling term referring to working agreement between promotions * AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, professional wrestling joint events: ** Forbidden Door ( ...
, Strickland successfully defended his title against
Will Ospreay William Peter Charles Ospreay (born 7 May 1993) is an English professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a former two-time AEW International Champion. He is also known for his eight year tenure with New Japa ...
. On August 25 at All In, he was defeated by Danielson via submission which was his first submission loss in AEW, ending his reign at 126 days. Earlier in the day on the Zero Hour pre-show, it was shown that Strickland had re-signed with AEW in what was later reported by Fightful Select to be a multi-year deal and one of the biggest deals in AEW history.


Various feuds (2024–present)

During Strickland's match at All In, Adam Page made an appearance, distracted Strickland, which allowed Danielson to gain the upper hand. On the August 28 episode of ''Dynamite'', Strickland confronted Page and challenged him to a
steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
at All Out on September 7, which was later made official. On the September 4 episode of ''Dynamite'', a contract signing was set for the cage match between Strickland and Page. While Strickland arrived to sign the contract, Page didn't show up as he was at Strickland's childhood house, which Strickland had just recently purchased. Page proceeded to burn down the house as Strickland watched in horror. This forced AEW president Tony Khan to not sanction their steel cage match at All Out, turning the match into a lights out steel cage match On September 7 at All Out, Strickland lost to Page, ending their year-long feud. After a brief hiatus, Strickland returned on October 12 at WrestleDream, where he started a feud with the debuting stable
The Hurt Syndicate The Hurt Syndicate is a professional wrestling stable in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The group consists of Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, MJF, and Montel Vontavious Porter, MVP, who serves as their manager. Lashley and B ...
(
Bobby Lashley Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team C ...
,
MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...
, and
Shelton Benjamin Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team Champ ...
). On October 30 at
Fright Night Dynamite Fright Night Dynamite was a professional wrestling television special produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It took place on October 30, 2024, at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio and aired live as a special Halloween episode of '' Wedne ...
, Strickland defeated Benjamin, but would be attacked by a debuting Lashley afterwards. On November 23 at Full Gear, Strickland was defeated by Lashley. After losing to Lashley, Strickland began a feud with
Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...
. On the February 5, 2025 episode of ''Dynamite'', Strickland was defeated by Ricochet, who proceeded to steal the "Embassy" robe that Strickland wore in honor of
Jimmy Rave James Michael Guffey (December 8, 1982 – December 12, 2021), better known by the ring name Jimmy Rave, was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). E ...
. On March 9 at
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
, Strickland defeated Ricochet, regaining the robe and earning a shot at the AEW World Championship. Later in the show, Strickland attacked reigning champion Jon Moxley after his successful title defense. On April 6 at
Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...
, in a controversial main event, Strickland failed to defeat Moxley after interference from
The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...
( Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson). On May 25 at
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
, Strickland teamed with
Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name , is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW International Champion in his first reign. He also works as an ...
,
Willow Nightingale Danielle Paultre (born January 25, 1994), better known by the ring name Willow Nightingale, is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a current member of The Conglomeration and a former AEW T ...
, and
The Opps Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW World ...
(
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...
,
Powerhouse Hobbs William Hobson (born January 23, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Powerhouse Hobbs and is a member of The Opps. He is one-third of the current AEW World ...
, and
Katsuyori Shibata } is a Japanese professional wrestler, trainer, and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Opps and is one-third of the AEW World Trios Champions with Samoa Joe and Powerhouse Hobbs. ...
) to defeat the
Death Riders The Death Riders are a villainous professional wrestling stable that performs in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and Ring of Honor (ROH). The stable consists of the leader Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, ...
(Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli,
Marina Shafir Marina Shafir (; born 14 April 1988) is a Moldovan professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. As a wrestler, she is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a member of Death Riders, a villainous stable formerly known as Bla ...
, and
Wheeler Yuta Paul Soren Gruber (born October 26, 1996) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Wheeler Yuta and is a member of the Death Riders, formerly known as the Blackpool C ...
) and The Young Bucks in an Anarchy in the Arena match. After Double or Nothing, Strickland began a storyline with Will Ospreay after refusing to join Ospreay in assisting Adam Page against the Death Riders, due to Strickland and Page's past rivalry. This led to a match between the two on June 9 at ''Dynamite'': Summer Blockbuster, where the bout ended in a time-limit draw. After the match, Strickland and Ospreay were both attacked by The Young Bucks.


Personal life

Strickland has two daughters and a son.


Other media

Strickland is a member of the
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
group Swerve City and also performs solo as Swerve the Realest. As Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, he made his video game debut in ''
WWE 2K22 ''WWE 2K22'' is a 2022 professional wrestling sports video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It is the twenty-second overall installment of the video game series based on WWE, the eighth game under the ''WWE 2K'' banner, a ...
''. As Swerve Strickland, he was added as a playable character to ''
AEW Fight Forever ''AEW Fight Forever'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ Nordic. It is the debut title on home consoles and personal computers based on American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling ( ...
'' as
downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
.


Championships and accomplishments

*
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
**
AEW World Championship The AEW World Championship is a men's professional wrestling World championship (professional wrestling), world championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Unveiled on ...
( 1 time) **
AEW World Tag Team Championship The AEW World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It is a standard tag team championship, being contested by teams of two wr ...
( 1 time) – with Keith Lee *
Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by John Zandig. Commonly associated with the 2000s hardcore wrestling genre, early CZW shows showcased a brand of wrestling dubbed by the p ...
**
CZW World Heavyweight Championship The CZW World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the professional wrestling promotion Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). It debuted on March 27, 1999 at CZW's The Staple Gun event ...
( 1 time) **
CZW Wired TV Championship The CZW Wired Championship was a professional wrestling world television championship in the Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) promotion. History Throughout the championship's history, there were 28 reigns between 20 champions. The inaugural champi ...
(2 times) *
DEFY Wrestling DEFY Wrestling is an American Independent circuit, independent professional wrestling promotion based out of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. DEFY was created in 2017 after founders Jim Perry and Matt Farmer successfully petitioned the Wa ...
** DEFY World Championship ( 3 times) **Defy Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with
Christopher Daniels Christopher Daniel Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he works as the Head of Ta ...
* ''
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
'' **Breakout Wrestler of the Year (2024) * Evolve **
Evolve Championship The Evolve Championship was a men's professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship that was created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion Evolve (professional wrestling), Evolve. The ...
( 1 time) *Ground Xero Wrestling **GXW Respect Championship (1 time) *
Lucha Underground Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists, United Artists Media Group. ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured List of former Lucha Underground p ...
**
Lucha Underground Trios Championship } The Lucha Underground Trios Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship promoted by Lucha Underground. In contrast to usual tag team championships for two wrestlers, it is exclusively for three-man tag teams, also know ...
(
2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...
) – with A. R. Fox and
Willie Mack Willie McClinton Jr. (born January 5, 1987) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Willie Mack, currently appearing in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, Juggalo Championship Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling, Major League Wres ...
(1) and The Mack and Son of Havoc (1) *
Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...
**
MLW World Heavyweight Championship The MLW World Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by Major League Wrestling (MLW). It is the promotion's principal championship. The championship was established on June 15, 2002 at the Genesis and was ...
( 1 time) ** MLW World Heavyweight Title Tournament (
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
) *Next Generation Wrestling **NGW Championship (1 time) *PCW Ultra **PCW Ultra Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **PCW Ultralight Championship (1 time) *''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
'' **Ranked No. 2 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''
PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
'' in 2024 *''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' **Ranked No. 8 of the top 10 wrestlers of 2023 *Vicious Outcast Wrestling **VOW Hyper Sonic Championship (1 time) *
Westside Xtreme Wrestling Westside Xtreme Wrestling, commonly shortened to wXw, is a German professional wrestling promotion based in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. wXw has been one of the leading professional wrestling promotions in Germany, and most of its event ...
**
wXw World Tag Team Championship The wXw World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the German professional wrestling promotion, Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). The inaugural champions was Swi$$ Money Holding (Double C, ...
(1 time) – with David Starr **
World Tag League The World Tag League may refer to any of the following professional wrestling tournaments held in Japan: * World Tag League (JWA), 1970 to 1972, hosted by Japanese Wrestling Association * World Tag League (NJPW), annually since 1991, hosted by New ...
(
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
) – with David Starr *WrestleCircus **WrestleCircus Ringmaster Championship (1 time) *
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
**
NXT North American Championship The NXT North American Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended as the secondary men's championship of NXT, the promotion's developmental brand. The current champi ...
( 1 time)


''Luchas de Apuestas'' record


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Strickland, Swerve 1990 births 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers AEW World Champions AEW World Tag Team Champions African-American professional wrestlers All Elite Wrestling personnel American male professional wrestlers CZW Wired Champions CZW World Heavyweight Champions DEFY World Champions Evolve Champions Living people Masked wrestlers MLW World Heavyweight Champions NXT North American Champions WXw World Tag Team Champions wXw World Tag Team Festival winners People from Tacoma, Washington Professional wrestlers from Washington (state) United States Army reservists