Former WWE champion says he's had more conversations with Tony Khan than he ever did with Triple H and Shawn Michaels

Triple H and Shawn Michaels have become the sweethearts of the wrestling industry due to their booking prowess. But according to this star, neither HHH nor HBK bonded with him as Tony Khan has.

Competition between the two promotions has shifted into a higher gear this year, with both The Game and Khan doing their best to sign the hottest free agents. One of AEW's biggest acquisitions was Swerve Strickland, who enjoyed some success in WWE.

During a recent appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, Swerve Strickland revealed that unlike with Triple H, he gets to have conversations with Tony Khan, where they plan his matches ahead of time.

"I love Tony, I've had way more conversations with Tony than I ever did with Triple H, even Shawn, that came up last in my NXT [run]. But like, I had those conversations, I was not going to allow me to have those conversations late with Tony, I wanted to get right to it at the beginning. This is what I do. This is what I can offer. This is where I want to be. Boom." (H/T INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet)

Additionally, Strickland noted that he had to earn the equity to be able to have such in-depth conversations with Tony Khan. However, The Game recently delivered quite the blow against AEW by signing CM Punk, so it remains to be seen if Khan's promotion will remain in high morale.

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Missed out on Saturday's AEW Collision? Catch up with the results right here.

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Jim Cornette believes that Triple H's signing of CM Punk was a statement against AEW

The controversy between Punk and AEW was a major talking point in the wrestling industry for over a year, and the veteran's departure from the promotion only made things worse. In an episode of The Jim Cornette Experience, the former wrestling manager speculated that this was all a tactic of war against AEW.

"Triple H, with his head for this business, smells not only blood in the water but the cocaine bear is bleeding out over there in the Great Smokies. Because now, Triple H has told everybody in AEW, 'Yeah the guy that your EVPs said was a cancer and they couldn't get along under any circumstances. (...) Well now, he's gonna main-event WrestleMania,'" Cornette said. [02:04 - 03:06]

It remains to be seen if Punk's return to WWE will end up paying off for the promotion and has the desired effect at the end of the day. Only time will tell, but either way, the wrestling fanbase has gone wild about the news.