34-year-old ex-WWE champion marks huge milestone 3 years after company exit

A former WWE star reacts after achieving a major feat in the pro wrestling industry. Swerve Strickland was a huge asset for WWE in NXT, but the company failed to fully utilize his potential. The former North American Champion left the global sports entertainment juggernaut in 2021 and entered AEW in 2022.

The Realest star caught many eyes with his effect matches throughout 2022 and 2023. Last year, he was pushed to the moon by Tony Khan and went on to win the AEW World Championship in 2024. Despite not being a popular star to win the title, he cemented his legacy as a top champion. His performances were widely praised throughout the year as he established himself as a main eventer.

Recently, ESPN released its Pro Wrestling Awards 2024 list, naming every top candidate in the category. Among many WWE Superstars, AEW's Swerve Strickland was chosen the 'Breakthrough Wrestler of the Year.'

The 34-year-old star took to X/Twitter to thank ESPN for choosing him among other top candidates.

"Thank you @espn," he wrote.

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WWE veteran Dustin Rhodes heaps praise on Swerve Strickland

Dustin Rhodes and Swerve Strickland had an intriguing match at last year's Worlds End pay-per-view. Many fans expressed their doubts after the former was named as Keith Lee's replacement. However, the reigning ROH World Tag Team Champion made sure to put over Swerve with the crowd.

Dustin Rhodes recently took to Twitter and claimed that the former AEW World Champion is one of the best in the industry.

“My fave in @aew besides my partner @sammyguevara is @swerveconfident. His rise has been one of the best ever in the biz. Love to be his coach," he wrote.

It will be interesting to see how many milestones Swerve Strickland passes in 2025.