AEW star Swerve Strickland claims he was "never friends" with former tag team partner

After what many considered a somewhat slow start to life in AEW, Swerve Strickland has evolved as a character. This Saturday on Collision, he will go one-on-one with a former ally, a man he claims he was never friends with.

Strickland shares a deep history with veteran high-flyer AR Fox, with the men having first crossed paths over a decade ago. Swerve even welcomed his long-time ally/rival into his Mogul Embassy group during a heated feud with Darby Allin and the upstart Nick Wayne.

However, this alliance did not last too long, and Strickland recently took to social media to accentuate this point:

"We were never friends," Strickland posted on X.

With Strickland currently making his way up the AEW ladder, he will go into this Saturday's bout as the favorite. But expect Fox to put up a good fight and once again show the wrestling world why he is held in such high esteem amongst his peers.

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AEW champion is scared for Swerve Strickland's next target

With a wave of momentum on his side, Swerve Strickland has made his intentions clear: He wants to rise through the ranks and go after the AEW World Championship.

This is great news for current International Champion Orange Cassidy, who said the following to Cheesecakes and Controllers while recalling some of his toughest battles:

"I’ve had some time to think back. [...]vObviously, the Jon Moxley match is still in my brain, but there is another person… the match that I had with Swerve Strickland, that one, I’m still surprised I got out of it with the championship. Swerve is… I’m very scared of who he targets next. Here’s hoping he goes after the World Title and not me.” [H/T eWrestling News]

This is high praise coming from an athlete like Cassidy, who has fended off some of the best talents AEW has to offer during his historic title reign. However, this does not mean that Freshly Squeezed is in the clear, as only time will tell what Strickland decides to do next.