AEW star Swerve Strickland had nothing but praise for the company’s backstage crew, crediting AEW’s growth behind the scenes for helping him land a major collaboration.
Speaking with Gold Belt Media at San Diego Comic-Con, Swerve discussed his recent shoe partnership with Reebok and Allen Iverson.
He made it clear that the opportunity came entirely through AEW, using it as proof of how far the company has come over the past year. “Dude, that wasn’t me at all. That was just an AEW thing. I really feel like over the last year, All Elite Wrestling, the marketing department, the social team, everything has just stepped up so much tenfold,” Strickland said.
He went on to stress that the company’s progress extends beyond what fans see on television: “Not just in the ring, not just the product you see on TV… I feel like everybody behind the scenes, from top to bottom, like the camera work, the production, like everybody stepped up so much.”
According to Swerve, AEW’s role in securing his collaboration with Reebok was their way of taking things to “another notch,” building off the success of The Young Bucks’ earlier shoe deal.
This Sunday, August 24, at AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, Strickland will challenge Kazuchika Okada for the AEW Unified Championship in one of the event’s marquee main events.
Fans can check out the full interview with Swerve Strickland below.
