Why Swerve Strickland Wanted JoJo Offerman to Perform at AEW All In: Texas

AEW All In: Texas featured JoJo Offerman singing Ain’t Nobody, which was Swerve Strickland’s entrance theme in the indies and now Strickland has revealed why he wanted Offerman to perform at the event.

While speaking with Wrestling Figure News, Swerve Strickland talked about how Bray Wyatt inspired him and influenced his style. He said Wyatt changed wrestling TV in a way people won’t fully understand for years.

Wyatt’s work was unique, creative, and full of hidden meanings, like using puppets to represent things such as depression, anxiety and moments from his past. Strickland admitted he didn’t realize how special it was until he had to create his own engaging TV segments, and he tried to add some of Wyatt’s style into his own work.

Strickland shared memories of Wyatt from their time together in WWE, recalling how Wyatt would joke with him, tease him about his outfits, and even talk to him while fully dressed as The Fiend. Even though they didn’t work together for long, those moments left a big impression.

“To me, Bray Wyatt changed wrestling television, and I don’t think it’s going to be realized for some more time just how impactful he was. ‘This is so unique and different and much more captivating than people understood and realized.’

Even for me, I didn’t realize how big of a deal it was until I got put in the position to have to make interesting television. I took so much nuance from what he was doing and put my spin on it because he was meta-physical and very fourth-wall breaking and speaking to the people.

He was leaving nuggets here and there and trinkets like ‘this represented his past, this was depression, this meant anxiety,’ all the puppets meant different things and past moments of his life. It was so cool and I wanted to take pieces of that, and even if I could get 10% of that creativity, I’m going to try and make it my own thing.

When he passed, it was painful for me because I was with him in the locker room. Not for years, but I was with him when The Fiend was really taking off. When I was getting on 205 Live and on the road, he was the guy giving me hugs, and he would bust my balls because I was wearing pinstripes on my boxers. ‘You’re not going out there and wearing that, are you? I’m just playing, you can do what you want.’

He would do things like that. I’d be at the urinal and he’d be in full Fiend gear right next to me with the mask on and look over, ‘Sup, man?’ Just little things that he would do. He had a big impression on me in the short time I got to interact with him.”

To honor Bray Wyatt, Strickland invited Wyatt’s widow JoJo Offerman to sing Ain’t Nobody at AEW All In Texas while the arena lights created Wyatt’s famous “fireflies” effect. He said it was his way of showing respect to Wyatt and his family.

“I wanted to pay that forward to him. Having JoJo come out this year at All In and do another tribute with the fireflies on the titantron and have her sing Ain’t Nobody. Just mix those little trinkets, nuggets, and pieces of storytelling for her and show more appreciation to the family.”

We have previously reported that AEW officials were pleased with how everything played out and are planning to use JoJo again in the future. Therefore, we’ll have to see when she will make an appearance on AEW television again as fans would love to see her back.

What do you think about JoJo Offerman’s appearance at AEW All In: Texas? Sound off in the comments.