Google News
Since the inception of AEW, Jacksonville federation president Tony Khan has always placed great faith in the Superstars who make up his roster, thus allowing them creative freedom. It is therefore the same staple of the NXT period under the leadership of Triple H.
For this reason, comparisons would have flown between the two executives of the well-known companies. One star who has worked with both who spoke out on the subject was Swerve Strickland. The former NXT North American champion has revealed that he had a lot of fun with the young WWE show before being released and landed as a free-agent in AEW.
Swerve Strickland comments on Tony Khan
Speaking on The Wrestling Perspective podcast with Lars Frederiksen and Dennis Farrell, Swerve Strickland revealed what Tony Khan and Triple H have in common: "They trust you, they know that if you have your own style and like it, no one can write your material better of you, so they give us guidelines at most and we maybe put in our own way.
If you are confident in yourself they will believe in you too and have confidence. When you are trying to create something of your own, no one else can tell you how you should do. If you're confident about one thing, it will always work out.
That's where the trust in me came from. I know it will work, I believe in it because I can do it." Strickland added that Tony Khan is exactly like Triple H: "Back in the WWE days I could tell Triple H to believe in me to succeed in something.
He said to me: 'It's okay, as long as you believe it, I believe it' Tony he is like that too, he trusts all those who believe in themselves at least. You can't do anything if you don't believe in yourself. He believes in me and so it's easier for me to work.
This way things work and go fortunately in the right direction". The former NXT star is currently in a feud in All Elite Wrestling with his former tag team partner Keith Lee. Newly signed AEW star Swerve Strickland opened up on his former group Hit Row's release from WWE.
“It was like a gut punch at first, the first couple weeks were,” Swerve said. “Honestly, after Briana [B-Fab] was let go from the group, it kind of was like, wow, you might as well let it all go. Seeing the direction the companies going in right now, it just doesn’t fit Hit Row and we don’t fit the company."