Swerve Strickland says Dustin Rhodes wasted his time.
During the AEW Worlds End media scrum on Saturday, Swerve Strickland was asked if there’s a timeline for when he plans to capture his first AEW World Championship. Bluntly, Strickland explained why the timeline has begun.
“Timeline-wise, it starts tomorrow, truth be told,” Strickland said. “Whatever it is, however long it’s going to take, I just know it’s going to start tomorrow. That’s what I wake up for. Tonight, I feel like my time was wasted, and my time is very valuable to me. As Dustin Rhodes could see that, he paid for that because he got in my way.
“I spent two months in the Continental Classic going after championship gold and I was the one that got pinned the least in the entire tournament. The only one that took one pin in the entire tournament full of aces, not just in AEW but in the entire industry. That says something to me. That says I’m worth something and that says my time is worth something.”
No subliminal messages
Swerve then noted that Dustin Rhodes tried to do the right thing by stepping in for Keith Lee, but he paid for that choice.
“So Dustin trying to be the noble guy and coming up to step to me like that, he had to pay for that. That goes to show the world that I’m not playing anymore. 2024 is where things get direct. No subliminal shit. It’s direct and I’m standing on that.”
Strickland’s only pinfall loss in the AEW Continental Classic was to Jon Moxley. He later lost the Gold League finals when Moxley pinned White in a three-way bout. The former AEW World Tag Team Champion then went on to score a singles win over Dustin Rhodes at Worlds End when Keith Lee was not medically cleared to compete.
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If you use any quotes from this article, please credit AEW with a h/t to WrestleZone for the transcription.
