Is Swerve Strickland seriously considering retirement from professional wrestling when his AEW contract expires?
Back on March 25, the All Elite Wrestling star took to social media to tease his in-ring future, tweeting the following statement:
Yall got these next 5 years with me then I'm ✌?……
— The Realest Swerve Strickland (@swerveconfident) March 26, 2025
Enjoy the show
Several months later, in an interview with Wrestling Figure News, Strickland was asked about that tweet and his future in the world of wrestling.
“I mean every word,” Swerve Strickland said. “I have not lied to the fans one time about that kind of stuff. Truly, I don’t want to give my talents, abilities, my mind, my body, my soul, I don’t want to give any of that to anybody else. I want to give it all to AEW because they give all the resources to me. I’ve shown my loyalty, not just my loyalty, but I’ve shown my dedication and appreciation. I showed that I’m not in it for me.
“I’m in it for AEW. I want not just me to reap the benefits, I want everybody to reap the benefits of what AEW can offer. Even the fans, I want them to reap the benefits. I want to keep doing that. That’s the challenge and the fun. I find the fun in the challenges. ‘AEW doesn’t have this.’ Okay, that’s the challenge.
“We’re going to get that. ‘They’re not here.’ That’s the challenge; we’ll move it up to here. We’re going to move the numbers, the gate, the ratings. That’s the challenge and beauty. I don’t want to be a factory worker and a machine; I want to be part of the machine and in the office.
Swerve Strickland teases a backstage role in AEW
“The fun part of being part of the office is I can still go down and meet the people and get next to the co-workers and help bring them up and teach to not necessarily do what has always been done, but create and craft and explore the next stages and new ways of doing things that is uncharted territory.
“I think AEW is an uncharted territory in wrestling history. Everything we do is new. Every hour that ticks forward is new uncharted territory for not just AEW but for the wrestling business. I think that’s the fun, creative, exciting, anxiety-inducing, and nervous part, but still the fun and challenge.”
When asked if he’ll still be around the company after his contract expires, Strickland teased that’s something that will be discussed in the final year of his deal.
“That’s a discussion we’ll have in year five,” Swerve Strickland said. [H/T: Fightful]
READ MORE: Swerve Strickland Reveals What Makes Wrestling Stand Out Over Other Live Sporting Events
What do you make of Swerve Strickland’s overall comments? Are you surprised that Strickland’s career is essentially on the clock? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
