Swerve Strickland Shares Why Black Panther’s Killmonger Resonates With Him

Swerve Strickland looks back on his Killmonger-inspired attire.

At AEW Dynasty, Swerve Strickland was faced with the demanding task of challenging the ever-aggressive Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship. As such, Strickland headed into the title match with not just the mindset of a warrior, but also the physical ensemble of one — specifically that of the Marvel villain Erik Killmonger.

“I went through a lot of pain to get to this moment,” Strickland told Renee Paquette on AEW Close Up. “I didn’t always do things the right way. Did a lot of bad things to get what I needed to get, to go where I needed to go. That’s kind of mirrored and parallel with the Killmonger, and that’s why I kind of resonate with that. I’m not a hero. The Persona of Swerve Strickland is not a hero; he is a warrior.”

“Warriors from any perspective can be deemed as a good or bad. That’s up to people to decide. Like ‘Man, actually he had a point. He did a lot of bad things because he had to fight and scratch and claw ’cause nobody else was going to do it for him. He had to do it on his own and he had to find his way.’ And that’s what I did. I wasn’t coming to just be awarded the throne. I’m here to take it and that’s what I did.”

The Eric Killmonger character is famously portrayed by Michael B. Jordan in the Black Panther series.

Strickland Pays Homage To Jimmy Rave

In addition to his Erik Killmonger-inspired ring attire, Strickland also emerged with a robe previously owned by founding member of The Embassy, Jimmy Rave.

“The crown jewel robe, shout out to Jimmy Rave, rest in peace. It’s really honorable to see the robe that has been passed through time and time again through Ring of Honor from The Embassy for the last 20 years make it to this height. I wanted to pay homage to that. I wanted fans and kids of all colors, all diversity, to see what royalty truly looks like. That’s what that really was for me.”