Swerve Strickland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Swerve Strickland
Strickland in 2022
Birth name	Stephon Strickland
Born	(1990-09-30) September 30, 1990 (age 34) Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Children	3
Family	Fred Strickland (cousin)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Isaiah "Swerve" Scott Killshot Lt. Jermaine Strickland SW3RVE SW3RVE The Realest Shane Strickland Swerve Strickland
Billed height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Billed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Billed from	Tacoma, Washington
Trained by	Combat Zone Wrestling D.J. Hyde Ground Xero Wrestling
Debut	2011
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army Reserve
Years of service	2008–2015

Stephon Strickland (born September 30, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is known by his ring name Swerve Strickland in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He has achieved great success, becoming a former AEW World Champion and AEW World Tag Team Champion.

Strickland started his wrestling journey in 2008, using the name Shane Strickland. He wrestled for many independent wrestling companies until 2019. These included Major League Wrestling (MLW), Evolve Wrestling, and Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). He won the top championships in all these companies. From 2014 to 2018, Strickland also wrestled as a masked character called Killshot in Lucha Underground.

In 2019, he joined WWE and wrestled as Isaiah "Swerve" Scott in NXT. While in NXT, he was part of a group called Hit Row and won the NXT North American Championship. He later moved to the main WWE show, SmackDown, but was released from his contract in November 2021.

After leaving WWE, he changed his name to Swerve Strickland and joined AEW in March 2022. He teamed up with Keith Lee, and together they won the AEW World Tag Team Championship. Later, Strickland started his own group, Mogul Embassy, and achieved his biggest win by becoming the AEW World Champion in April 2024. He held this title until August of the same year.

Early Life and Military Service

Stephon Strickland was born in Tacoma, Washington, on September 30, 1990. When he was just two months old, his family moved to Germany. His father was a cook in the United States Army, and they lived on an American military base in Frankfurt. Strickland spent his first seven years growing up in Germany.

Later, his family moved back to the United States and settled in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania. He went to Donegal High School, where he was very active. He enjoyed dancing in talent shows and was good at football, basketball, and track and field.

After high school, Strickland decided to join the United States Army Reserve when he was 17. He completed his basic training in South Carolina. Then, he had more training in Augusta, Georgia. He served for eight years in York, Pennsylvania, as a specialist who helped with signal systems. He left the Army Reserve in 2015.

Professional Wrestling Journey

Starting His Wrestling Career (2008–2012)

Strickland decided to become a professional wrestler when he was 18. He began training in August 2008 at Ground Xero Wrestling Training Academy. He did this while still serving in the Army Reserve. Soon, he started wrestling in areas like Maryland and Pennsylvania. His Army Reserve duties meant he could only wrestle in those nearby areas during his early career.

In September 2011, Strickland wrestled for the National Wrestling Alliance for the first time. In March 2012, he won his first match for the East Coast Wrestling Association. He also debuted for World Xtreme Wrestling in September 2012.

Combat Zone Wrestling (2012–2017)

Strickland made his debut in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) in February 2012. He took part in several big matches and tournaments. In March 2014, Strickland won the CZW Wired TV Championship for the first time. He defeated Devon Moore to win the title.

He later lost the title to Joe Gacy but quickly won it back two weeks later. After wrestling in Germany for a while, he returned to CZW in 2015. In 2016, he had exciting matches with Dezmond Xavier. In July 2017, he won the CZW World Heavyweight Championship for the first time. He held the title until November before losing it back to Gacy.

Wrestling on the Independent Scene (2012–2019)

Strickland also wrestled for many other companies. In May 2012, he debuted for Evolve Wrestling. In August 2018, he defeated Matt Riddle to win the Evolve Championship. He held this title for three months before losing it.

In 2016, Strickland wrestled in Germany for Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). He won the World Tag Team League with David Starr. They defeated many famous teams. Strickland also wrestled for Major League Wrestling (MLW) and The Crash Lucha Libre in Mexico.

In December 2018, Strickland won the PCW Ultra Heavyweight Championship. He was already holding the PCW Ultra Light Heavyweight Championship, making him a double champion. He later gave up the Light Heavyweight title. In March 2019, Strickland gave a farewell speech at a DEFY Wrestling event, hinting he would soon join a major wrestling company.

Lucha Underground (2014–2018)

Strickland was a main character on the TV show Lucha Underground. He played a masked character called Killshot. Killshot was a military veteran who carried dog tags to remember his friends who died in battle. In the first season, he teamed with Big Ryck and Willie Mack.

In Season 2, Killshot had a rivalry with Marty Martinez. This led to a very intense match where Killshot won. Later, Killshot had a story where he received a letter from A. R. Fox, a former friend he had left behind in battle. They had a brutal "Hell of War" match, which Killshot won. Later, Killshot, Fox, and The Mack won the Trios Championship.

In Season 4, Killshot lost a "mask vs. mask" match to Son of Havoc. After losing, Killshot took off his mask and revealed his real identity as Lt. Jermaine Strickland. He then left the Lucha Underground temple.

Major League Wrestling (2017–2019, 2022)

Strickland debuted in Major League Wrestling (MLW) in October 2017, defeating Ricochet. In April 2018, he won a tournament to become the MLW World Heavyweight Champion. He held the title for 91 days before losing it to Low Ki.

After losing the title, he had a rivalry with Sami Callihan. In January 2019, Strickland gave a speech where he seemed upset with MLW management. He said he was ending his contract. This was part of a wrestling storyline. He then left MLW for a while.

Strickland returned to MLW in March 2022 for one match.

WWE (2019–2021)

On April 17, 2019, Strickland signed with WWE. His ring name was changed to Isaiah "Swerve" Scott. He started wrestling in NXT. In July, he joined the NXT Breakout Tournament.

In 2020, Scott competed for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. He had a big rivalry with the champion, Santos Escobar. Scott claimed he was the only one who had pinned Escobar. They had several matches, but Scott was unable to win the title.

In February 2021, Scott attacked Leon Ruff after a match, which meant he was now playing a "bad guy" character. In May, Scott formed a group called Hit Row with A. J. Francis (Top Dolla), Tehuti Miles (Ashante "Thee" Adonis), and Briana Brandy (B-FAB). On June 29, Scott defeated Bronson Reed to win the NXT North American Championship, his first title in WWE.

In October 2021, Scott and Hit Row were moved to the SmackDown show. He lost his NXT North American Championship to Carmelo Hayes. In November, B-FAB was released from WWE, and two weeks later, Scott, Adonis, and Dolla were also released.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2022)

Strickland wrestled one match for New Japan Pro-Wrestling in March 2022. He accepted an open challenge from Jay White but was defeated.

All Elite Wrestling (2022–Present)

Swerve In Our Glory and Mogul Affiliates (2022–2023)

On March 6, 2022, Swerve Strickland joined All Elite Wrestling (AEW) at their Revolution event. He made his first AEW match appearance on March 11, defeating Tony Nese. Soon after, Strickland teamed up with Keith Lee, and they called themselves "Swerve In Our Glory."

In July 2022, Swerve In Our Glory won the AEW World Tag Team Championship. They defeated The Young Bucks and Team Taz in a three-way match. They successfully defended their titles against teams like The Lucha Brothers. They then had a series of matches with The Acclaimed. They lost the tag team titles to The Acclaimed in September 2022.

After this, Strickland and Lee started having problems. In December 2022, Strickland turned on Lee, meaning he attacked his partner. He then formed a new group called "Mogul Affiliates" with Parker Boudreaux, Trench, and rapper Rick Ross. Strickland and Lee had a rivalry that lasted until March 2023.

Mogul Embassy and AEW World Champion (2023–2024)

In April 2023, Mogul Affiliates joined with Prince Nana's group, The Embassy, to form a bigger group called Mogul Embassy.

Strickland started a rivalry with Sting and Darby Allin. He competed for the AEW International Championship but did not win. Later, Strickland was forced to team with Keith Lee again in a tournament, but they were quickly eliminated. Strickland defeated Darby Allin in July. The rivalry grew when Allin's friend, AR Fox, joined Mogul Embassy. However, Strickland later kicked Fox out of the group.

At All In in August 2023, Strickland and Christian Cage lost to Allin and Sting in a "coffin match." Strickland was placed inside the coffin, which wrote him off TV for a short time.

Strickland returned in September 2023 and started a rivalry with "Hangman" Adam Page. Strickland said that if he had the same chances as Page, he would be the "first black AEW World Champion". Their rivalry led to a match at WrestleDream in October, which Strickland won. In November, Strickland defeated Page again in a "Texas Deathmatch." This match was highly praised by wrestling experts.

Strickland competed in the Continental Classic tournament in late 2023, doing very well but losing in the semifinals. In February 2024, Strickland wrestled Adam Page again to decide who would challenge Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship. The match ended in a tie, so both men challenged Joe in a three-way match, which Joe won.

At the Dynasty event, Strickland defeated Samoa Joe to win the AEW World Championship. This made him the first recognized African-American AEW World Champion. He successfully defended his title against Claudio Castagnoli and Christian Cage. In May, his group, Mogul Embassy, broke up. At Forbidden Door in June, Strickland defended his title against Will Ospreay. He lost the AEW World Championship to Danielson at All In in August 2024, ending his reign after 126 days.

Recent Rivalries (2024–Present)

After losing his title, Strickland's rivalry with Adam Page continued. Page distracted Strickland during his match at All In. This led to a "lights out" steel cage match at All Out in September. Before the match, Page went to Strickland's childhood house, which Strickland had just bought, and burned it down. Strickland lost to Page in their final match.

After a short break, Strickland returned in October 2024 and started a new rivalry with a group called The Hurt Syndicate. He defeated Shelton Benjamin but was attacked by Bobby Lashley. At Full Gear in November, Strickland lost to Lashley. He then began a rivalry with Ricochet.

Personal Life

Stephon Strickland has two daughters and a son. His cousin, Fred Strickland, was a professional American football player in the NFL.

Other Activities

Music Career

Strickland is part of a hip hop group called Swerve City. He also performs as a solo artist under the name Swerve the Realest.

Video Games

Swerve Strickland has been featured in wrestling video games. As Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, he appeared in WWE 2K22. As Swerve Strickland, he was added to AEW Fight Forever as extra content.

Championships and Achievements

Strickland (left) as one-half of the AEW World Tag Team Champions alongside Keith Lee

Strickland as AEW World Champion

• All Elite Wrestling
  • AEW World Championship (1 time)
  • AEW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Keith Lee
• Combat Zone Wrestling
  • CZW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • CZW Wired TV Championship (2 times)
• DEFY Wrestling
  • DEFY World Championship (3 times)
  • Defy Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Christopher Daniels
• ESPN
  • Breakout Wrestler of the Year (2024)
• Evolve
  • Evolve Championship (1 time)
• Ground Xero Wrestling
  • GXW Respect Championship (1 time)
• Lucha Underground
  • Lucha Underground Trios Championship (2 times) – with A. R. Fox and Willie Mack (1) and The Mack and Son of Havoc (1)
• Major League Wrestling
  • MLW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • MLW World Heavyweight Title Tournament (2018)
• Next Generation Wrestling
  • NGW Championship (1 time)
• PCW Ultra
  • PCW Ultra Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • PCW Ultralight Championship (1 time)
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Ranked No. 2 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2024
• Sports Illustrated
  • Ranked No. 8 of the top 10 wrestlers of 2023
• Vicious Outcast Wrestling
  • VOW Hyper Sonic Championship (1 time)
• Westside Xtreme Wrestling
  • wXw World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with David Starr
  • World Tag League (2016) – with David Starr
• WrestleCircus
  • WrestleCircus Ringmaster Championship (1 time)
• WWE
  • NXT North American Championship (1 time)

Luchas de Apuestas Record

This type of match is common in Lucha Libre, where wrestlers bet something important, like their mask or hair.

See also

In Spanish: Swerve Strickland para niños