Swerve Strickland opened up about the lowest point of his career during a recent appearance on the Insight with Chris Van Vliet podcast, reflecting on a period he describes as his personal “rock bottom.” Strickland explained that he relates deeply to the philosophy of Fight Club, where hitting absolute bottom removes fear from the equation altogether.
According to Strickland, once you’ve reached a point where you believe you can’t fall any further, the fear that often holds people back simply disappears.
He explained the mindset by referencing the film directly, noting that the feeling comes from knowing “the worst that can happen? It already happened.” From that point forward, he said, “there’s nothing to fear in any of this stuff.”
Strickland identified the years 2011–2013—while working the independent circuit—as the most difficult chapter of his life. During that time, he said he wasn’t progressing, describing the stretch as “just spinning wheels over and over again.” It also happened to coincide with a major shift in his personal life.
“I would say just the independent grind between 2011, 12, 13, it was the point of just spinning wheels over and over again,” Strickland said. “That’s also when both my daughters were born. So it’s just like, Okay, now it’s making very little money, no car, two daughters to feed, two different households. I still had the military, but I have all these commitments.”
The AEW star explained that the combination of financial struggle, responsibility, and lack of resources created an overwhelming situation. He spent several years trying simply to stabilize his life and establish consistency.
Strickland said that despite the hardships, that period became foundational to who he is today. The absence of fear—as he described it—eventually empowered him to take risks and push forward in ways he couldn’t before, shaping the performer and professional he has become.
