Swerve Strickland, with a new bulked up look, made his return to AEW at this past Saturday’s Full Gear. He had been out due to surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
During the most recent episode of Insights with Chris Van Vliet, Strickland spoke on his new bulked up look, the syringe spot at All Out 2024 and re-singing with AEW.
On his new bulked up look:
“I am definitely bigger, and it’s miserable maintaining it. Because there’s times where I’m in bed, and I’m like, I gotta get one more something. Because Applebee’s is my go-to, at like, 11:45-12, most places are closing down. So let me order just a salmon and asparagus and rice. It gets there, and I’m like, I don’t even have the energy to use a fork. I’m just picking at it with my hands to my mouth and, in bed, just feeling like [crap].”
How big is he looking to get:
“I don’t even know. I didn’t even know I could get to this. Honestly, I got to a point where it was like, I didn’t know I could do this. What more can I do? So it’s like that’s the addiction to it.”
On splitting time between wrestling and his music:
“I feel like they’re kind of one in the same now. I’ve done so much with wrestling that’s kind of got me into the doors with the music in a lot of different ways. Artists look at me a little bit more in a unique kind of space, because I know what I’m talking about, because I do it weekly on TV. So I was like, okay, he’s not full of sh*t, there’s something here to it. Now, we just got to see if he’s good. But I’ve done all the work and all the writing camps. I’ve studied and performed, and I’ve actually competed in songs with super MCs, like Mickey Factz, who’s literally teaching college courses on hip hop with Lupe Fiasco and competing against some of the greatest lyrics that’s out there in the world, getting nurtured and tutored by him and John Connor, who’s a Shady Aftermath former artist. Just all these guys, like Benny the Butcher, I have to compete on songs with these guys lyrically. So once again, it’s uncomfortable to step in a booth or I’m really not that seasoned yet, but these guys have been doing it for like 15-20 years, have gold plaques and are on songs with J Cole and songs with Eminem and Dr Dre produced records. These guys is who I’m on songs with. So that’s an uncomfortable room I have to put myself into to feel like I can compete, to have these dreams and aspirations to do like the stuff that I really want to do.”
On the syringe spot at All Out 2024:
“It was just something that I don’t think has been seen on American soil, television-wise, in a major promotion like that in a while, because it’s something that’s like, why would you do that? Why would anybody do that? Good, that’s why I’m doing it.”
On People having a fear of just seeing needles:
“That’s the point. If you’re sitting at home, you’re already getting uneasy, which we have so many little, small things that make people uneasy. I knew a syringe would make people feel uneasy. [It went through your cheek] Yeah, all the way through. I think I still have the needle.”
On the reaction the syringe spot got online:
“[People said] “That’s dumb.” “Why would you do that?” Well you’re talking about it, it’s the moment, and I wouldn’t do that with anybody else. Right there, unsanctioned cage with Hangman, like, somebody that, like, I was just already depleted because I got power bombed on a cinder block right before that. So I’m like, it’s just punishment. We’ve already took it so far. He already burned down my house. Where else further do you go with someone that you hate? And it was just like he hates me that much to just do something like that. That came out of his boot, he had that. So that was something he just wanted to just punish me with.”
Swerve also spoke on re-signing with AEW, if the staples used in matches are real and much more!
You can watch the full interview below:
All quotes are courtesy of Insights with Chris Van Vliet.