“It’s me and him watching old indie stuff,” Current AEW sensation reveals having hour-long tape studies with Shawn Michaels

Swerve Strickland and Shawn Michaels sat down together to learn peak wrestling from watching indie wrestling clips.

“It’s me and him watching old indie stuff,” Current AEW sensation reveals having hour-long tape studies with Shawn Michaels

Swerve Strickland and Shawn Michaels (via AEW and Sports Illustrated)

Former NXT North American Champion Isiash “Swerve” Scott jumped the guns at AEW in 2021. Swerve led the Hit Row stable both on NXT and SmackDown until his release.

But his time in the developmental brand made him learn wrestling from Shawn Michaels to a greater extent. During his talks with Chris Van Vliet, Swerve recalled how he would look back at old wrestling clips to get the most out of them.

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Known to the AEW Universe as Swerve Strickland, he cited that he used to have hour-long tape studies with HBK. Shawn needed to bring out the very best in him and help him be the performer he wanted to be.

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Swerve stated that they watched PCW and DEFY matches in order to allow him to learn from those classic moments. Michaels was willing to see and even show the fans what made WWE sign him into the company through his performance.

Michaels and Triple H used to have creative meetings for writing next week’s television. That’s when the S*xy Boy used to text Swerve on the side regarding HHH’s expectations of him. Shawn used to analyze his moves, pay attention to his wrestling style, and advise him not to be the truest ‘performer’.

"It's me and him watching old indie stuff. He wanted to see like, 'Okay, what got you here?' You're doing well right now, but I want to know what got you here. He was like really paying attention to my pacing and how I move."
Swerve Strickland about Shawn Michaels’ mentorship

Despite the massive help from Michaels, the need for WWE’s wrestling did not get along with Strickland. Isiah Scott was released during the seventh round of layoffs in November 2021. Nevertheless, his departure from the Stamford-based promotion made him the superstar he is today at AEW.

Swerve Strickland had the NYC Arena on their feet at HOG: The Darkest Hour

House of Glory: The Darkest Hour will go down as one of the most remarkable nights in their history. Having advertised and hyped their Friday Night beforehand, the show delivered with the stacked match card. AEW’s Swerve Strickland and Mike Santana were the first to witness the event.

Hangman Adam Page and Swerve Strickland
Hangman Adam Page and Swerve Strickland at AEW Full Gear 2023 (via TMZ)

Strickland was to face Mike Bailey in the seventh bout of the night. A clip surrounding the internet shows Swerve’s entrance with the audience’s foot-tapping and enjoying the theme song. A thunderous crowd in the NYC Arena looked to be in full support of Swerve and cheered with their loudest intensity.

‘The Realest’ superstar’s stardom is soaring day by day in the wrestling industry. Strickland is currently involved in the Continental Classic Tournament, having tied with Jon Moxley for 6 points. It will be exciting to see his career graph amidst this upsurge of popularity in AEW.

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