At this year's All In PPV, Bryan Danielson defeated Swerve Strickland to finally become the AEW World Champion. Now, he's on a collision course with his old friend and rival Nigel McGuinness.
As for Strickland, he was released by WWE in 2021 (alongside another of AEW's top stars, Toni Storm) and has since gone on to become one of Tony Khan's biggest stars. WWE's loss was most definitely AEW's gain and, shortly before that Wembley main event, he reportedly signed a big-money, multi-year deal with the promotion.
Talking to Sports Illustrated, the American Dragon reflected on his All In match and expressed disbelief that WWE ever let such a huge talent slip through their fingers.
Here's what he told the site:
"Swerve was perfect at All In. I mean, he’s incredible. He just signed a new contract with AEW - and that is one of the benefits of having two mainstream wrestling companies in the United States. WWE didn’t see value in him, and they let him go. When Swerve came here, he said he was going to become AEW champion - and he did."
"You watch him and ask, 'Who would ever let go of this guy?' He just wasn’t given the opportunity to be his best self. And that goes both ways–I don’t want it to sound like, 'Oh, evil WWE, they don’t let their talent be their best selves.' Some people will thrive there. Some people will thrive here."
"There are people who will thrive in both places, there are people who will be underutilized. That’s the benefit of having two major companies in the United States. If someone doesn’t see value in you, you can try somewhere else."
"And Swerve, he is the most professional of the professionals. Him, Claudio, [Samoa] Joe - anything you need them to do, they do it without hesitation. The way he’s been able to show everyone how skilled he is of a professional wrestler, I’m so impressed. I can’t say enough about him as a professional wrestler or a human being."
It's widely believed that Vince McMahon was responsible for Strickland and Storm's respective releases, no great surprise given how out of touch he became during his final decade (or more) as WWE Chairman and head of creative.
Triple H reportedly tried to bring Strickland back into the fold but, by that point, it was too late. As things stand, the former AEW World Champion will now remain an AEW mainstay for the foreseeable future.
Let us know your thoughts on Danielson's high praise for Strickland in the comments section.