WWE Rumors: Is Shane Strickland finally WWE-bound?

What the story?

Late last year, reports surfaced that top independent star Shane Strickland would be signing with WWE and reporting to the Performance Center in January, but things didn't quite work out that way.

PWInsider cited contractual obligations preventing Strickland's arrival, but it seems like he may finally now be about to sign with WWE after the same source confirmed that he said goodbye to DEFY wrestling last night - citing that he was going on to bigger and better things.

In case you didn’t know…

Back in July 2017, we spoke exclusively with Shane Strickland and asked about the potential of him signing with WWE and he gave us a very interesting answer - remaining coy, but not disregarding the possibility of a move.

I'm doing me and I'm enjoying everything I'm doing in my career right now. I've got a lot of responsibilities on me right now and I'll fulfill every last one of them.

Strickland also cited Matt Riddle as a huge favorite of his, a man who is now performing in WWE, on the NXT brand. Strickland also spoke about his character, Killshot, on Lucha Underground. You can read the entire interview here.

Shane Strickland then confirmed in January that he was a free agent - a move reminiscent to that of WWE's newest recruit Trevor Lee. Lee had announced he was a free agent on Twitter just days before he confirmed he would be signing with WWE.

Officially a free agent again

— Shane Swerve Strickland (@swerveconfident) January 15, 2019

The heart of the matter

PWInsider.com have today reported that Shane Strickland announced at last night's DEFY Wrestling event that it was his last appearance for the company, stating that he’s moving on to bigger and better things.

The entire roster then surrounded the ring while the entire crowd sang The King of Swerve’s music as a fitting send-off.

WWE has reportedly been trying to sign Strickland for a while, with contractual issues previously stunting the move.

What’s next?

Well, only time will tell. All eyes are on Strickland now. Could he sign for WWE? Might AEW try to snap him up? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Where would you like to see Shane Strickland go? Let us know in the comments.