Best wishes to AEW star Swerve Strickland

Swerve Strickland is one of AEW's most accomplished stars. Today, on September 30, The Realest is celebrating a personal milestone. Swerve quickly became one of Tony Khan's most bankable stars after he joined the Jacksonville-based promotion in 2022.

Through sheer hard work and perseverance, Strickland cemented his place among the top babyfaces in the company. The former AEW World Champion, who is currently on hiatus due to injury issues, was last seen competing at Forbidden Door 2025, where he unsuccessfully challenged Kazuchika Okada for the latter's Unified Championship.

Earlier reports suggested that Strickland would be out until the start of the new year. Now, amid his absence, The Realest has reached a personal milestone, as he is celebrating his 36th birthday today.

Commemorating the same, All Elite Wrestling's X handle wrote:

Insane Vince McMahon ideas that got canceled - Watch Here!

"Happy Birthday! @swerveconfident."

AEW star Swerve Strickland on when he realized WWE was wasting him

Before joining AEW, Swerve Strickland had a stint with WWE's NXT, but things didn't turn out that well for him in the Stamford-based promotion.

In a recent interview with DJ Vlad, The Mogul revealed the moment when he felt that the sports entertainment juggernaut was misusing his talents.

"The one day I knew I was getting bullshi**ed around the PC was when I was there for, like, three or four months, and I got called to do 205 Live against Drew Gulak, who had the Cruiserweight championship... Got great praise in the back coming afterward. Charlotte [Flair], Bayley, Kofi [Kingston], Samoa Joe—everybody’s giving me crazy praise... I come back to the PC, and they’re trying to teach you arm drags again. I’m like, 'Get the f**k out of here with that,'" he said. [H/T: Cageside Seats]

As of today, Swerve Strickland remains committed to the Tony Khan-led promotion and self-admittedly has no plans of taking his talents elsewhere.

About the author

Karan Raj is a senior writer in Sportskeeda's AEW division. He holds an engineering degree from Manipal University, but his passion for sports motivated him to pursue an MSc in Sports Business from the University of Liverpool. Karan has been in the sports marketing industry for the past seven years.

As a lifelong WWE fan and enthusiast of wrestling entertainment, he has always been drawn to the industry's unique blend of sports and storytelling. Karan was introduced to the business by his elder sister when he was 10 years old.

Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Karan worked for several reputable organizations, such as Ting Works LLP and Sportz Interactive, wearing different hats. He also wrote the anthem of UP Rudras, a hockey team that played in the Hockey India League. Karan conducts thorough research while writing articles and only relies on credible sources for information.

Karan's favorite pro wrestler is Seth Rollins. He admires The Visionary's versatility as a performer and his ability to play both heel and babyface characters to perfection. Besides Rollins, Karan looks up to Roman Reigns for his storytelling skills and ability to captivate audiences.

In AEW, he enjoys watching Will Ospreay compete inside the ring. Karan loves The Aerial Assassin's technical in-ring ability and athleticism. If Karan could go back to the Attitude Era, he would combine forces with Jericho and promise to elevate his career to the same level as The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.When not writing about pro wrestling, Karan loves to play and watch football. It is a huge part of his life.

He is also a massive fan of tennis and is learning to play the sport. Apart from sports, he also knows how to play the ukulele.

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Edited by Karan Raj