AEW star Swerve Strickland has dismissed the possibility of WWE and AEW holding a crossover event, arguing that the business interests of both promotions would make such a collaboration extremely difficult.
During a recent interview with Billboard, the former AEW World Champion discussed the possibility of wrestlers from both companies competing against one another in a cross-promotional event.
When asked whether he believes fans could see WWE and AEW work together during his lifetime, Strickland offered a straightforward response. “No. Not in my lifetime at least,” Strickland said.
Strickland explained that his skepticism stems from the importance of protecting each company’s brand and its biggest stars. “It’s control. It’s all about marketing. It’s like the NFL, WWE has to protect their shield. There’s no way they’d allow any of our wrestlers to look better and be better [than them].”
He pointed to several prominent WWE Superstars whose presentation would need to be carefully protected in any potential crossover, including Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Gunther and Oba Femi. “Obi Femi is a world beater. You gotta protect that and make sure he keeps looking good. Gunther, have to protect that. Roman [Reigns], have to protect that.”
Strickland suggested that Rhodes would present an especially complicated situation because of his history with AEW. “Cody [Rhodes], have to protect, even more so because of AEW. There’s a lot of that happening.”
The former AEW World Champion believes those challenges would extend beyond the men’s division, with both companies also needing to consider the presentation of their leading female wrestlers. “When it gets to the women, then that’s even tougher. Rhea [Ripley], Liv [Morgan], Chelsea [Green] all have to be protected.”
Strickland acknowledged that a crossover could produce several highly anticipated matches, including a potential showdown between WWE’s Seth Rollins and AEW’s Will Ospreay. However, he questioned how the promotions would determine the outcomes without potentially damaging the standing of their respective stars. “You wanna see Seth [Rollins] and Ospreay. That’s the generational thing, but who do you protect? Who has the leverage?”
Despite his doubts about the business side of a crossover, Strickland emphasized that the wrestlers themselves would likely be enthusiastic about the opportunity.
He revealed that he maintains close friendships with several WWE talents, including Carmelo Hayes, Je’Von Evans and Oba Femi. “Us in the locker room, we just wanna have these matches. I’m good friends with Carmelo [Hayes], Jevon [Evans] and Oba. Those are my boys. I love those guys.”
Strickland added that the outcome of those hypothetical encounters would be far less important to him than simply having the opportunity to compete. “I don’t care who wins. Double DQs. I don’t care.”
When asked about potential dream opponents, Strickland explained that he has moved beyond creating his own fantasy matchups.
Instead, he believes he has reached a point in his career where other wrestlers should consider facing him a dream match. “I don’t do those anymore. I wanna be the fantasy match. I’m at that stage now.”
While Strickland remains interested in the possibility of sharing the ring with talent from WWE, his comments make it clear that he does not expect the two promotions to reach an agreement on a crossover event.
In his view, the challenge is not a lack of interest among the wrestlers, but the competing business priorities and the need for each company to protect its established stars.
