Former champion in WWE is on a trajectory to bagging AEW's top prize, says Matt Hardy

AEW star Swerve Strickland has been basking in the praise of wrestling critics and fans for his recent performances against the likes of 'Hangman' Adam Page and Bryan Danielson. The 33-year-old defeated Hangman at WrestleDream and almost scored a victory over the American Dragon after a great outing at Dynamite Title Tuesday.

Matt Hardy was the latest to acknowledge the caliber of Swerve Strickland's performances. During the most recent edition of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, the former WWE US Champion said the leader of the Mogul Embassy is very dependable and deserving of a great spot in the Jacksonville-based promotion.

"Swerve is a guy that I would vouch for. I think he's a guy that deserves to have a great spot in AEW and build around that guy, let him be one of the building blocks of the company. I think he's got a great look, I think he has a great personality. He's just a good guy overall. He's very dependable. I think that's a very important part," Matt Hardy said. (H/t Fightful)

Hardy added that Strickland will likely be an AEW World Champion within a year and a half if he continues on his current trajectory.

"Also, just the fact that he is black, that helps as well, because it's very important now, especially in this day of equity and equality, that we have as many different faces and different-looking individuals that we can get the best opportunities, and he is a guy that's totally deserving of it. Not even because of any other reason other than he's a bada*s, kick-a*s athlete, and a good human being. I think if he continues on this trajectory he's currently on, I think within a year-and-a-half, there's a great chance of him being the AEW World Champion," Hardy added. (H/t Fightful)

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Swerve Strickland wants to become the first black AEW World Champion

Strickland debuted in All Elite Wrestling in March 2022 and, within a few months, won the AEW World Tag Team Championship as a part of Swerve In Our Glory with Keith Lee.

During a recent interview with DAZN Wrestling, The Killshot said that the Jacksonville-based company hasn't yet had a black World Champion and added that he wants to be the first to achieve the feat.

“I think that’s a story, that’s a possibility, that’s being talked about now amongst peers. It’s a seed that I planted that I wanted to just organically grow. The story wasn’t about AEW’s never had a black world champion, its like, I want to win it. I want to be the first and I don’t want to accept anything less. I want to be the first, which means I want to be next up, especially with the momentum I have. I want to use all of that to get to the top," Swerve Strickland said. [H/T: Fightful]

The former NXT North American Champion recently faced Bryan Danielson at Title Tuesday in a number-one contender match for Christian Cage's TNT Title, he was ultimately defeated but did look impressive.