Swerve Strickland opens up about the challenges of long promos.
Sunday’s AEW WrestleDream pay-per-view will feature Swerve Strickland taking on Hangman Page. The two stars have been feuding in recent weeks. As part of the rivalry, they have gone back and forth on the microphone. Speaking with Phil Strum of Under The Ring, Strickland was asked how easy it was for him to flow during those promo segments.
“It wasn’t easy at all,” Strickland said. “For me, I think the toughest part of this industry is being able to just speak. Like speak in a believable way, speak in a way that’s original, speak in a way that’s not so cliche and formulaic like you’ve heard a million times that you can see a lot of where the conversation’s going before they even start, like a mile away. That’s so hard. Especially when some of the greatest talkers of all time have come and gone and are either already out of the industry or they’re on their way out of the industry.”
“To find your own voice is tough,” Strickland admitted. “And for me, this is the most mic time I’ve ever gotten in my career like on live TV, I would say. I had the mic a couple times in WWE and NXT, but that was a lot of shared mic time. But with AEW, it was six minutes straight of talking and telling a story and building this hype and building this energy, like being original, trying to find my voice and present it to someone who’s done this time and time again and been in the ring with some of the greatest that’s ever set foot in this ring and this business.”
Swerve Strickland Felt He Had To Level Up After First Promo
Swerve Strickland went on to describe how he felt like he had to level up. He noted that he had to face the pressure and overcome it.
“That’s a lot of pressure, so it can be a little scary at times, but it’s like, that’s where you gotta level up. That’s where I had to level up. I had to become something.
“I had to become someone and make a statement, make a point like, ‘Oh, man, I got it, now do it again. Oh, okay, now I gotta find that energy again and really find out who you really are,. You gotta do it all over again.’ You gotta make sure that not only you top it, but make sure you still keep who you were the first time.”
The video interview can be seen below.
WrestleZone will have coverage of AEW WrestleDream as it airs on October 1.
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If you use these quotes, please credit Under The Ring with a h/t to WrestleZone for the transcription.
