WATCH: “WWE saw no future in him”-Fans overjoyed as Swerve Strickland becomes the first ever African American AEW World Champion

Swerve Strickland fought Samoa Joe in the main event for the AEW World Championship.

WATCH: “WWE saw no future in him”-Fans overjoyed as Swerve Strickland becomes the first ever African American AEW World Champion

Swerve Strickland (via AEW and @WrestleOps/ X)

Swerve Strickland made history as he defeated Samoa Joe in the main event of AEW Dynasty to become the AEW World Champion. In addition to that, he became just the eighth and first ever African American wrestler to hold that title. 

AEW’s inaugural Dynasty pay-per-view was filled with many enthralling matches and surprises. However, the main story of the event was Swerve Strickland finally dethroning Samoa Joe and ending his 113-day reign. After failing to make a significant mark during his stint in WWE, he finally established himself as a main event player for the Jacksonville-based company.

YouTube video

Speaking of his WWE run, Strickland’s tenure in NXT, the development brand, wasn’t that bad, as he won the North American Championship after defeating Bronson Reed in June 2021. Swerve’s reign lasted over 100 days before he finally lost the title to Carmelo Hayes. He was unfortunately released from WWE shortly after debuting on the main roster as a part of the faction Hit Row.

FS Video

In other matches on Dynasty, Kazuchika Okada defeated PAC to retain the Continental Championship. Will Ospreay and Bryan Danielson tore the house down as the former picked up the win over The Dragon in one of the greatest matches in recent times. Meanwhile, Jack Perry made his return to AEW, making his first appearance following the controversy involving him and CM Punk.

Fans reacted to Swerve Strickland’s history-making win over Samoa Joe at Dynasty

The wrestling world couldn’t contain its excitement after Swerve Strickland became the new AEW World Champion. Fans expressed their emotions on social media, with many claiming that he deserved it after becoming one of the most popular acts in the last year.

Swerve Strickland
Swerve Strickland (via AEW)

One fan criticized WWE for not using him to his full potential and letting him go. Another fan compared his victory to Cody Rhodes‘ historic title win at WrestleMania XL, referencing how both of them finished their respective stories. Here are some of the top reactions from fans: 

Many fans felt it was the right call to make him the champion, as it was long overdue. While some fans believe that he will be a transitional champion, others were impressed by Swerve for completely reinventing himself in AEW. One user made an outrageous prediction for Brock Lesnar to make his AEW debut and take the title away from him. Overall, the majority of wrestling fans heaped praise on the former WWE Superstar.

In case you missed it: