Swerve Strickland Explains Importance Of Kofi To His Generation

Craig Ballantyne

Swerve Strickland Explains Importance Of Kofi To His Generation

Swerve Strickland was honored to wrestle alongside Kofi at AEW All In London.

At All In London, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods made their AEW debuts during the Trios Roulette Royale. The pair, now going by Kofi and Austin Creed, allied themselves with Swerve Strickland and will be known as The New Level going forward. The group outlasted the other teams in the match, last eliminating Pac and Claudio Castagnoli to claim the World Trios Championship.

Appearing on Rich Latta Pro Wrestling shortly after the victory, Strickland opened up on the importance of being able to work with Kofi, as the former WWE Champion inspired not only him, but a whole generation of wrestlers.

“And I already see a lot of it is like, this is a celebratory thing. This is a positive thing from positive people that have a positive record, that made positive impressions on generations of kids in pro wrestling.

“That man is one of the true staples of the next generation of making guys like me, of making guys like a Kevin Knight, of making guys like a Lio Rush, of making guys like — I can go on and on and on and on down this roster. The Rascalz themselves, you know what I mean?

“Like, for me to stand side by side with him, because watching his moment back at WrestleMania helped me inspire to get to a Wembley Stadium main event as a world champion. I don’t believe that’s possible without his inspiration and energy.”

Entering AEW All In London With The New Level Is The Greatest Moment Of Swerve Strickland’s Career

For Swerve Strickland, working with the former New Day is an honor, and walking to the ring with Kofi and Creed meant more to him than anything else in his career so far.

“And now, coming together, it’s like a cultural thing. It’s for the generations. It’s for all the guys that look like them in the 2010s, for guys that look like us in 2020 and going forward. You know what I mean?

“It’s an honor for me still to even be side by side with them guys. That entrance meant the most to me, more than anything else. I’ve had a lot of great things in my career, but that entrance right there meant so much to me because it meant so much to them.”

As well as Kofi, Strickland praised Creed for his contributions, saying he changed the game in bringing pop culture into pro wrestling.

“And I don’t think Kofi will truly understand what that means inside. Even Creed being side by side, him changing the game with pop culture and video games…Like, one of the smartest, most brilliant names and minds in there.”

On the September 2nd edition of Dynamite, Swerve Strickland and The New Level will defend the Trios Titles for the first time against The Rascalz.

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