Swerve Strickland Reveals When He Signed New AEW Deal

Swerve Strickland has officially confirmed when he re-signed with All Elite Wrestling—and it turns out the new deal came together just as AEW was gearing up for one of its biggest events of the year.

Speaking with Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Strickland revealed that he signed his new multi-year AEW contract around the time of All In 2024, even before his original deal had expired. The move came after internal recognition that he had exceeded expectations during his original run.

“I signed my new deal around AEW All In last year. The original contract hadn’t even expired yet, but they told me I had outperformed it.”

The timing aligned with Strickland’s rise in AEW as a singles star after his tag team run with Keith Lee. His performances and growth behind the scenes helped solidify his place in the company, ultimately leading to a contract that will keep him in AEW through 2029.

Strickland opened up about the early skepticism he faced from fans when he first arrived in AEW back in 2022. He acknowledged that many people didn’t know who he was at the time, but he used that to his advantage.

“A lot of people were like, ‘Who’s that?’ On the day I did the contract signing at Revolution, I could’ve taken that personally—but I used it as a fresh start.”

He also explained how he gradually earned Tony Khan’s trust—not by demanding creative control, but by focusing on delivering exactly what was needed.

“It’s trust to be like, I need something done on TV that will work. You’re the guy to do it. That’s a different trust.”

Swerve’s renewed commitment to AEW now comes with the full confidence of the company behind him. With the biggest years of his career ahead and a long-term deal locked in, Strickland has firmly established himself as one of AEW’s most valuable homegrown stars.

Do you think AEW was right to lock down Swerve Strickland early? Could he be the company’s top star by the time 2029 rolls around? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.