Swerve Strickland vs. Booker T: What's the beef really about, and who is right? 

There's been a lot of drama surrounding Swerve Strickland and Booker T as of late. The Realest and the WWE Hall of Famer seem to have gotten into a war of words over a critical matter that has affected their relationship.

Strickland added more fuel to the fire at the end of AEW Dynasty 2025 and escalated the matter by taking a shot at Booker T. While there are a few who seem to understand why the former AEW World Champion took a shot at the WWE legend, there are still a lot of people in the dark about the matter.

So, we're here to give you a rundown on the feud's history and who's right in this tricky situation.

How the beef between Swerve Strickland and Booker T started

Swerve Strickland has proven himself to be one of the best AEW has to offer. The Realest has brought himself to another level, with a few even considering him to be the ace of All Elite Wrestling itself. However, he's also not one to mince words.

Strickland would appear in an interview with DJ Vlad and stir up some controversy with his words. He brought up comments about Booker T saying he was treated fairly in WWE and disagreed with his statement. He pointed to an infamous 2005 backstage Smackdown segment between the latter and Vince McMahon as an example of unfair treatment.

Booker T took notice of his words and would go on to hit back at the former WWE star and stated that he even confronted him to express his disappointment over on his Hall of Fame podcast. He also reprimanded Strickland for appearing on DJ Vlad's platform, of which he had openly not been a fan of for some time. The WCW legend would, however, still praise him for being one of the best talents in All Elite Wrestling, even amidst the drama.

"I told Swerve Strickland to his face how disappointed I am in him as a young brother because all I did for Swerve Strickland, ever, was put him over and put him on a pedestal as being one of the best out there that ever did it; he deserves being the AEW Champion and for him to say something like that about me...I don't know if these guys think racism stopped in 1990 when I got in the business, but it didn't."

How it escalated further

Up to this point, both Swerve and Booker seemed to only be in disagreement with each other. There seemed to be a feeling that it could have been fixed and worked upon if left alone for some time, and perhaps a simple apology. However, it seems that the situation got a bit out of hand after Swerve would go on to disrespect Booker T.

Swerve Strickland recently fought Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship, and lost due to an interference from The Young Bucks. He would address the crowd to send them home with a few words after this loss, during which he would take a dig at Booker T.

The WWE legend would go on to comment on this promo and stated that he didn't even get upset about it. However, he would offer him some advice instead on his Hall of Fame podcast.

“Woke up this morning and I wondered, why is my name trending? I see the video of Swerve Strickland saying, 'F Booker T' at the end of Dynasty. I'm not gonna even get upset about it. I'm going to give Swerve Strickland a little bit of advice, just a little bit. That advice would be, don't be talking about something other than the pay-per-view at the end of the night. That's the main event and the last thing people are going to remember. The last people are going to remember is me, my name being said. I'm sure Tony Khan don't appreciate the news, the headline not being what happened at Dynasty with all the matches. They're talking about Booker T. That was a bad move.” [H/T Fightful]

However, in the same episode, he still wished him all the best for his career.

Who's right in this situation

It's tough to take anyone's side since both of them are only trying their best to ensure better representation. Booker T has been a trailblazer of a performer and Strickland is carrying on that legacy to this day with his amazing work in AEW.

While Swerve Strickland's shot at Booker T was seemingly unnecessary at the end of Dynasty, they are entitled to their opinion. Being a star in the spotlight is never easy, and one has to deal with criticism from peers whenever they are a household name.