Swerve Strickland Compares Signing with AEW to Joining the Lakers

Swerve Strickland is seen as a franchise player of AEW since he’s obviously one of the company’s biggest stars. That’s likely why the former AEW Champion has now compared the company to the Los Angeles Lakers.

While speaking on the Battleground podcast, Swerve Strickland talked about the high standards expected in AEW. He explained that being in AEW isn’t about just showing up, it’s about earning your place. He said both he and others in the company push the bar so high that it makes people question whether they’re truly ready to be part of it.

“We also have the understanding that you can’t just be here in All Elite Wrestling just to be here. We’ve always had that same respect—we both push the bar and raise it to certain lengths where people start to second guess if they can even come to AEW.”

Strickland said signing with AEW shouldn’t be something people take lightly. It should feel like signing with a top team like the Los Angeles Lakers. Strickland said you don’t just sign and expect to play right away. You have to work hard, be one of the best, and then work even harder to stay on the team. That’s the kind of high standard they want to keep in AEW.

“People second guess whether they can just sign a contract and make an impact in All Elite Wrestling. It shouldn’t be like that. It should be like signing with the Lakers, you know?

Right, right—the Lakers. You can’t just expect to be in the starting five, run the floor, and get playing time. No. You have to work. You have to be one of the best out there. And then you’ve got to wonder if you can even make it on the Lakers. And once you’re there, you’ve got to work that much harder just to stay on the team. You know what I mean? That’s what we always want—to keep that standard in All Elite Wrestling.”

This comes after Will Ospreay made it clear that AEW isn’t a safety net for released WWE Superstars since they actually have to prove themselves first before thinking about joining.

Swerve Strickland’s comparison to the Lakers shows how much he believes in AEW’s goal to be one of the best wrestling companies. Whether people agree with his comparison isn’t known but it’s clear he is confident about AEW in general.

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