"He's been the guy" - Ex-WWE star says Dustin Rhodes is behind his massive success in AEW

The AEW locker room features several wrestling veterans and experienced legends who are vital to the young company. Dustin Rhodes is one of these key talents, as he joined the organization as a wrestler and coach in its first year. One of the biggest All Elite Wrestling stars recently revealed just how much Rhodes was helping him.

Swerve Strickland began his wrestling journey in 2008, making his name in CZW, MLW, and Lucha Underground, among others. After three years with WWE, the Washington native joined All Elite Wrestling and, within a few months, was crowned World Tag Team Champion with Keith Lee.

The Realest then secured the biggest win of his career when he dethroned Samoa Joe as the AEW World Champion last year. He is still a top talent after the 126-day reign. Strickland's lengthy program with Lee led to a feud with The Limitless One's other tag team partner, Dustin Rhodes.

The Natural has helped The Realest in a major way. Sources revealed last summer how Rhodes was working with Strickland backstage, helping him make significant improvements. In a new interview with Bootleg Kev, the former World Champion praised Dustin. He explained how Dusty Rhodes' son inspired him by providing his unique perspective and making suggestions for his matches.

"Dustin, in general, he’s been the guy behind a lot of my great matches. He doesn’t tell me what to do, but he suggests things and where they should go. And he always puts a perspective on it where I’m like, ‘Oh, now you got me really thinking.’ And then I’m like, ‘How would you do it?’ And he’s like, ‘Well, I would go this way with it,’ but he never tells me what to do," Swerve Strickland said. [H/T: F4Wonline]

Rhodes and Strickland have squared off in two singles matches for AEW. The Slam Dunk Rampage special on February 17, 2023, saw Dustin win via DQ, while Worlds End on December 30, 2023, saw Swerve get the win.

---

AEW Collision lineup for this weekend

All Elite Wrestling will return to Las Vegas on Saturday for a live episode of Collision from The Theater at Virgin Hotels. Below is the current lineup.

• FTR vs. Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong
• International Championship Eliminator Tournament: Ricochet vs. Katsuyori Shibata
• International Championship Eliminator Tournament: Mark Briscoe vs. Mark Davis

AEW will continue featuring lucha libre talents on ROH. Saturday's tapings will feature Okumura vs. Dark Panther and trios action with Titan, Fuego, and Atlantis Jr. vs. Rugido, Barbaro Cavernario, and Volador Jr.