"You could tell he was the star of the team" - Konnan believes current AEW star kept WWE faction relevant

An AEW star played a significant role in keeping a WWE group relevant, per wrestling veteran Konnan. The name in question is Swerve Strickland.

The former AEW World Tag Team Champion was the leader of Hit Row in NXT and, later on, the SmackDown brand. The faction consisted of Swerve Strickland (fka Isaiah 'Swerve' Scott), Top Dolla, B-Fab, and Ashante "Thee" Adonis. Strickland and his stablemates were released from the company in 2021 before the group returned for a second run in August 2022, this time without its ex-leader.

On his Keepin' It 100 podcast, Konnan explained how Strickland was the star of Hit Row during the latter's WWE tenure.

"When they gave him his turn in Hit Row, you could tell he was the star of the team, so much so that when he left, they were nothing without him." [2:37 - 2:43]

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Matt Hardy praises AEW star Swerve Strickland

AEW star Swerve Strickland recently faced numerous top names, including 'Hangman' Adam Page, Bryan Danielson, and Sting. The former NXT star received much praise for his performance in these matches from many, including Matt Hardy.

On his Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, the veteran praised Strickland for being dependable and mentioned that he deserved to be in a great spot in the company:

"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." (H/T Fightful)

Hardy predicted that the former WWE star would become a world champion within a year:

"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." (H/T Fightful)

Do you agree with Matt Hardy's opinion of Strickland? Let us know in the comments section below.