AEW’s Swerve Strickland is becoming pro wrestling’s greatest villain

Swerve Strickland is being portrayed as one of professional wrestling’s most compelling villains, because brief flashes of warmth make his darker turns more unsettling. A recent storyline with Kofi Kingston, Austin Creed and “Hangman” Adam Page shows how quickly feel-good alliances can give way to menace.

Strickland has requested a Texas Death Match for the AEW Trios Championships at Full Gear on 14 November. The article says he intensified the challenge with a cinematic scene last week, while Page had already warned others about Strickland’s character; even Prince Nana’s familiar dance took on a more ominous tone.