Swerve Strickland

Swerve Strickland, born Stephon Strickland, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He's also known for his time in WWE under the name Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, where he captured the NXT North American Championship. Strickland's career extends beyond major promotions, with championship wins in independent promotions like Major League Wrestling and Combat Zone Wrestling. A charismatic competitor with a high-flying style, Swerve Strickland is a force to be reckoned with in today's wrestling world. He is the current AEW World Champion in his first reign with the title.

Also Read: What finisher does Swerve Strickland use in AEW?

Early Life

Swerve Strickland's real name is Stephon Strickland. He was born on September 30, 1990, in Tacoma, Washington, USA. His father, a Sergeant First Class cook in the U.S. Army, relocated the family to Germany when Stephon was just two months old. Frankfurt, an American military base, became their home for the next seven years, shaping Stephon's formative years.

Upon returning to the States, they settled in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, where Stephon attended Donegal High School. Here, he wasn't just a competitor on the football, basketball, and track and field teams, but also a performer, taking the stage in talent shows. Inspired by his father's service, a sense of duty called to Stephon at 17. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve, following in his father's footsteps. South Carolina hosted his basic training, followed by specialized training at Fort Eisenhower in Georgia. Stationed in York, Pennsylvania, he served for eight years as a 25U Signal Support Systems Specialist, displaying dedication and technical skills. In 2015, Stephon left the Army Reserve.

Professional Wrestling Career

Strickland began his wrestling career at the age of 18. He began training at Ground Zero Wrestling Training Academy in 2008. He started his career in wrestling while he was training in the military. Because of his military commitments, he began to work in the Independent scene with Pennsylvania in the early days of his career.

Independent circuit

In 2012, Strickland entered the Independent scene. He made his debut at Evolve Wrestling. He had his presence in the Independent scene until 2019. On August 4, 2018, Strickland defeated Matt Riddle to win the Evolve Championship at Evolve 108. In 2016, he wrestled in the Westside Xtreme Wrestling and he won the wXw Tag Team Championship once.

Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW)

Strickland made his CZW debut in 2012. On March 10, 2012, at Aerial Assault, Strickland participated in the main event, at Best Of The Best 11 Qualifying Aerial Assault Elimination Match won by Samuray Del Sol. Two years later, on March 8, 2014, at High Stakes, Strickland defeated the CZW Wired Champion Devon Moore to win the title for the first time. Then, Strickland started a feud with Joe Gacy. At Dojo Wars 6, Strickland lost the title against Gacy. After a lengthy absence, he participated in 2017 he went on to defeat Gacy Lio Rush, and Davey Richards in a 4-way to win the CZW World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.

Lucha Underground

Strickland participated in a professional wrestling television series in Lucha Underground. After succeeding in the tryout. He signed a deal with the promotion. Where he debuted the character of Lt. Jermaine Strickland, a military vet who carries dog tags to honor the memories of his fallen comrades and wrestled under a mask as Killshot. He aligned with Big Ryck and The Mack and participated in a tournament for the LU Trios Championship, but they were defeated in the finals. Following the first season, Strickland and his character Killshot were further developed. This led to having more military elements. Killshot had a feud with Marty Martinez after Marty stole his dog tags after a match between them ended in a no contest. Their feud ended in a Weapon of Mass Destruction match, where Killshot defeated Martinez. Killshot had his last match with Son of Havoc which culminated at Ultima Lucha Cuatro in a mask vs mask match. After losing this match he left the promotion shortly.

Major League Wrestling

Strickland made his debut in MLW in 2019. He wrestled in the promotion for a short period of time. Strickland joined the main event of Major League Wrestling Rebirth show One Shot and defeated Ricochet. On April 12, 2018, Strickland defeated Matt Riddle at one of MLW's first major shows, to win an eight-man tournament and the vacant MLW World Heavyweight Championship. After losing the title he worked a few matches with the company. He later left the company after having some heat with the employees and the management.

WWE

In 2019, after announcing him as a free agent. Strickland signed a contract with WWE. He debuted under the new ring name Isaiah "Swerve" Scott. He made his debut on the July 3 episode of NXT against Cameron Grimes in a Breakout Tournament. Soon, he made his 205 live debut against Drew Gulak. Scott then challenged Angel Garza for the Cruiserweight Championship in a fatal four-way match but was unsuccessful. Scott entered the Dusty Rhodes Tag team Classic Tournament where he partnered with Jake Atlas but the two were eliminated by Nash Carter and Wes Lee. At NXT Takeover Stand & Deliver, Scott would participate in a Six-Way match, where he eliminated Ruff and Cameron Grimes but would be the last person to be eliminated in the match by Bronson Reed.

After having few successful title defenses he lost the title to Carmelo Hayes. On the May 4 episode of NXT, Scott defeated Ruff in a Falls Count Anywhere match after A.J Francis interfered on Scott's behalf. After the match, Scott and A.J Francis (later renamed Top Dolla) would be joined by Ashante "Thee" Adonis and B-FAB, forming the stable Hit Row.

Scott then had a match with Bronson Reed for the NXT North American Championship. He won his first title in WWE after defeating Reed. In 2021. after the Draft The Hit Row faction was drafted to SmackDown. But the faction didn't have a long stay in the Main brand. On November 4, B-Fab was released by WWE. And 15 days later, on November 18, Scott was released from his WWE contract along with Adonis and Dolla.

AEW

In March 2022, after departing WWE, Stephon Strickland, now known as Swerve Strickland, debuted in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) at the Revolution event. He quickly established himself with a victory over Tony Nese on Rampage. An alliance formed soon after, with Strickland joining forces with Keith Lee to battle Team Taz (Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks). This duo dubbed themselves "Swerve In Our Glory" and went on to achieve tag team success. Swerve In Our Glory's teamwork culminated in a significant win on July 13th, 2022, during AEW's Fyter Fest. They defeated The Young Bucks and Team Taz in a hard-fought Triple or Nothing match, capturing the AEW World Tag Team Championships. Their reign, however, wasn't destined to last. The Acclaimed (Max Caster and Anthony Bowens) dethroned them at the Grand Slam episode of Dynamite.

Swerve's trajectory in AEW shifted in early 2023. Following a falling out with Lee, Strickland embarked on a singles career. He aligned himself with the Mogul Embassy, a growing faction within AEW, and has since established himself as their leader. Strickland's career has been on a rise since late 2023 after a high-profile feud against the former AEW World Champion Hangman 'Adam' Page. He defeated Page at AEW WrestleDream in a singles match and then in Page's own Texas Death match at AEW Full Gear 2023. Around the same time, he also picked up singles victory against the likes of former AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin, former World Tag Team Champion Penta, El Hijo Del Vikingo and had a highly acclaimed match against The American Dragon Bryan Danielson.

In December 2023, he took part in the AEW Continental Championship Tournament where he was a part of the Gold League. There, he scored victory against Jay White, Mark Briscoe, Jay Lethal and Rush. In a triple threat match against White and Jon Moxley, he was eliminated out of the tournament after Moxley pinned White. Since then, he has shifted his focus to the AEW World Champion Samoa Joe. At Revolution 2024, he challenged Joe in a triple threat match also involving Hangman Page which Joe won after pinning Page.

Swerve Strickland again earned a shot at the AEW World Championship by winning a match against Konosuke Takeshita on Dynamite. He then defeated Samoa Joe at the Dynasty pay-per-view to become the champion. This victory made Strickland the first African American AEW World Champion. To celebrate this achievement, Prince Nana dressed Strickland in special robes before the championship match. Strickland has successfully defended his title once against Claudio Castagnoli and is now set to face Christian Cage at the upcoming Double or Nothing event.

Swerve Strickland Wife

Swerve Strickland is in a relationship with fellow professional wrestler Jessie Elaban. Elaban was born on October 10, 1988 and was signed to WWE on the NXT brand under the ring name Jessie Kamea. It is not known whether or not Strickland and Elaban are married to each other. The two announced their relationship in 2020.

Click here to learn more about Swerve Strickland Relationships

Swerve Strickland Kids

Before his relationship with Jessie Elaban, Swerve Strickland had three children - two daughters and one son - from a previous relationship.

Swerve Strickland Family

Swerve Strickland Father

While details about Stephon Strickland's parents remain private, it's known his father served as a Sergeant First Class cook in the U.S. Army. This military service took the family to Germany when Strickland was just an infant. They resided on an American military base in Frankfurt for several years. Following high school, Strickland enlisted in the Army Reserve at 17, seemingly inspired by his father's path.

Swerve Strickland Mother

Information regarding Strickland's mother is currently unavailable online, and Strickland himself has kept his parents out of the public eye.

Swerve Strickland Cousin Fred Strickland

Swerve Strickland is the cousin of former NFL linebacker Fred Strickland. His real name is Fredrick William Strickland, Jr. and he was born on August 15, 1966 in Buffalo, New York, USA.

Swerve Strickland Net Worth

As per various sources, Swerve Strickland is worth in the range of $1 to $3 Million as of 2024. His latest contract with AEW and salary are undisclosed. Click here to learn about the net worth of the former AEW World Tag Team Champion.

Championships and accomplishments

• All Elite Wrestling

1. 1. AEW Tag Team Championship (1 time)
   2. AEW World Championship (1 time)

• Combat Zone Wrestling
  1. CZW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  2. CZW Wired TV Championship (2 times)

• DEFY Wrestling
  1. DEFY World Championship (2 times)

• Evolve
  1. Evolve Championship (1 time)

• Ground Xero Wrestling
  1. GXW Respect Championship (1 time)

• Lucha Underground
  1. Lucha Underground Trios Championship (2 times)

• Major League Wrestling
  1. MLW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  2. MLW World Heavyweight Tournament (2018)

• Next Generation Wrestling
  1. NGW Championship (1 time)

• PCW Ultra
  1. PCW Ultra Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  2. PCW Ultralight Championship (1 time)

• Vicious Outcast Wrestling
  1. VOW Hyper Sonic Championship (1 time)

• Westside Xtreme Wrestling
  1. wXw World Tag Team Championship (1 time)
  2. World Tag Team League (2016)

• WrestleCircus
  1. WrestleCircus Ringmaster Championship (1 time)

• WWE
  1. NXT North American Championship (1 time)