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Swerve Strickland reached the mountaintop at AEW Dynasty on April 21, toppling Samoa Joe to finally win the AEW World Championship that had long eluded him. Former WWE Champion Kofi Kingston has now shared how happy he is for Strickland.
Swerve Strickland became the first black man to ever win the AEW World Championship. He's immediately established himself as a fighting champion as well, competing in an Eliminator match and defending the title itself against Kyle Fletcher and Claudio Castagnoli, respectively, in his first week after taking the throne.
Swerve has mentioned Kofi Kingston as an inspiration, particularly for the time Kingston won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35. The New Day member recently commented on representation in wrestling and how his 'KofiMania' storyline inspired others.
Speaking on the Battleground Podcast, Kofi namedropped Trick Williams, Carmelo Hayes, and Oba Femi before expressing his admiration for the current AEW World Champion:
"To see Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes and Oba [Femi] doing their thing, it really is a beautiful thing to see. So I don’t want to sit here and say, ‘Oh, because I did this, now they’re doing their thing,’ you know what I mean? They I think were gonna be successful regardless. But it is a beautiful thing to see people of color out there doing their thing. Like you said, Swerve too, man. I’ve watched his career for a very, very long time. I’ve gotten to know him very well over the years. I’m really, really happy for his success too. So it is a beautiful thing, and we are keeping it going. I love it," Kingston said. [H/T Fightful]
Kingston further expressed his goal of normalizing people of color as champions. He claimed that he was happy to be part of the journey toward that future.
Kofi Kingston shouted out Swerve Strickland after AEW Dynasty
The wrestling world is unfortunately divided due to the rivalry between WWE and AEW, but talent from both companies often cross the line to congratulate and celebrate the achievements of their friends and colleagues.
Such was the case when Swerve Strickland won the AEW World Championship at the Dynasty pay-per-view on April 21. Mere hours after the show ended, Kofi Kingston took to X to give Swerve a shout-out:
Swerve Strickland is set for a major challenge at AEW Double or Nothing. He will attempt to defend his championship against the villainous Christian Cage, who recently lost the TNT title to Adam Copeland. The event is scheduled to air from Las Vegas on May 26.
