Swerve Strickland had Timbaland ready to go for an AEW appearance and still didn’t pull the trigger. For Swerve, having one of hip-hop’s biggest producers available wasn’t enough if he couldn’t give him a reason to actually be there.
While speaking to HOT 97, Swerve was asked about his role in bringing hip-hop culture into professional wrestling. His AEW run has already seen him work with names including Rick Ross, Bun B and Kevin Gates, but Swerve said he has always been careful about how those appearances happen.
The former AEW World Champion sees himself as a bridge between the two worlds. That also means making sure artists aren’t simply standing at ringside because AEW managed to get a recognizable celebrity on television.
“I like to be the bridge for it, you know, or a conduit to, like, ‘Oh, how do you bring a hip-hop act into the wrestling sphere and make it feel organic?’ It doesn’t feel like it’s a cash grab. It doesn’t feel like they’re, like, mascots on the side of the ring. It’s like, ‘Why are they there and why is this happening?’ It always has to have an organic feel to it.”
That approach isn’t coming from Swerve alone. He said people within hip-hop have also stressed that artists shouldn’t be reduced to props when they enter the wrestling world.
“That was always, like, the approach that was advised on from the outside space of hip-hop. It was like, ‘We never want to look like we’re just, like, standing there like a poster in a ring,’ right? How do they organically, naturally get there?”
Timbaland became the perfect example of just how seriously Swerve takes that rule. Swerve revealed that there was a point when he had Timbaland “on call” and ready to participate. Instead of forcing the appearance simply because he had access to him, Swerve decided against using him when the moment didn’t feel natural.
“There was a time, like, I had Timbaland on call, ready to go. You know, certain things, but if it didn’t feel organic, I still didn’t push the button on it.”
Swerve has spent years bringing hip-hop into his presentation without treating artists like celebrity decorations. Timbaland could still eventually become part of that world, but if Swerve gets his way, he won’t be showing up just to stand beside the ring and wave at the camera.
Would you like to see Swerve Strickland eventually bring Timbaland into AEW if the right storyline comes along? Let us know in the comments.
