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Swerve Strickland believes that a former WWE star's value has increased upon signing with AEW. He even compared the performer with WWE legend Becky Lynch.
The star in question is Mercedes Mone. She made her debut for AEW last year and has since gone on to become a top name in the company. Mone currently holds the TBS Championship.
In a recent interview on The BootlegKev Podcast, Swerve Strickland discussed how AEW elevated talents to the next level. He cited the example of Mercedes Mone to explain how stars scale new heights in their careers after joining the promotion. The Realest also compared The CEO with multi-time WWE champion Becky Lynch.
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"Mercedes was the one that did big for the women (...) now, it makes Becky Lynch look like a little hmm maybe."
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Strickland also highlighted how top stars like CM Punk and Cody Rhodes seemingly became even bigger names in WWE following their stints in AEW.
"Sasha Banks had value, Mercedes has more value now because of All Elite Wrestling. Cody had more value because of what AEW was able to do, same with Punk, same with [Jon] Moxley coming to AEW. Ricky Starks to Saints." [From 26:20 onwards]
Swerve Strickland became a top star in AEW following his WWE exit
There is no doubt that the Tony Khan-led company has taken Swerve Strickland's career to the next level. He was arguably a mid-card attraction in WWE as part of Hit Row.
Upon his All Elite Wrestling debut in 2021, Strickland began his ascent to the top of the mountain. After nearly three years of hard work and resilience, The Realest dethroned Samoa Joe at the 2024 Dynasty pay-per-view to become the World Champion.
Strickland once again has an opportunity to challenge for the coveted title, which is currently held by Jon Moxley. The Realest defeated Ricochet at Revolution 2025 and is next in line to be Moxley's opponent. It will be interesting to see if he will be the one to end The One True King's reign of terror.
If you use quotes from the article's first half, please credit The BootlegKev Podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
