Booker T Says Swerve Strickland Influenced ‘Bad Habits’ in Wrestling

Booker T isn’t letting his history with Swerve Strickland fade into the background — and now he’s taking another shot.

Nearly a year after Strickland grabbed a mic at AEW Dynasty 2025 and told a Philadelphia crowd “F** Booker T,” the Hall of Famer is once again addressing Swerve by name. This time, the moment came during the February 17, 2026 episode of the Hall of Fame podcast — and it didn’t take long for things to turn heated. While discussing Je’Von Evans and generational influence in wrestling, Booker brought Swerve into the conversation and delivered a subtle but clear jab.

“I heard Swerve Strickland talk about Je’Von Evans, and Evans probably grew up watching guys like him—and that’s true. So you’ve got to figure out how to get rid of those bad habits.”

The comment immediately got a reaction from co-host Brad Gilmore, who didn’t miss the dig, as he said, “You know what? Swerve deserved that one. He deserved it.” Booker, realizing the setup, leaned into the moment with a grin: “You just set that up, didn’t you?”

This comes after Booker went after Swerve Strickland for dropping the f-bomb on him last year. He addressed the moment directly on his podcast and questioned Swerve’s decision to make it personal at the end of AEW Dynasty.

“I’m going to give Swerve Strickland a little bit of advice, just a little bit. That advice would be: don’t be talking about something other than the pay-per-view at the end of the night. That’s the main event and the last thing people are going to remember. The last thing people are going to remember is me—my name being said. I’m sure Tony Khan don’t appreciate the news, the headline not being what happened at Dynasty with all the matches. They’re talking about Booker T. That was a bad move.”

He also made it clear he prefers direct confrontation over public shots. And perhaps most telling, Booker drew a line in the sand when it came to future praise.

“I’m from that school, if you got something to say to somebody, say it to their face. I’m gonna leave it at that. Would I ever say anything positive about him, ever again? Probably not. Would I ever put him over as far as being a good worker and perhaps transform this business? I probably won’t do that again. I’ve learned my lesson.”

So when Booker T laughed about “bad habits” today on his podcast, it clearly wasn’t random. There’s history there — and Booker hasn’t exactly let it go.

Do you think this is just long-term ribbing at this point, or is Booker T still keeping score? Sound off in the comments.

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