Swerve Strickland talks about John Cena’s influence on his career

Former AEV World Champion Swerve Strickland was opened in detail by Fr John Cenaits impact on his career.

A former WWE star himself, Strickland parted ways with the promotion in 2021 to join forces with AEV in 2022. Part of an alliance with Keith Lee and The Mogul Embassy, ​​Strickland soon found his groove and began his singles journey. A former world champion and one of the top stars on the roster, Strickland recently spoke with Chris Van Vliet about how John Cena has influenced him in his AEV career and relationship with Tony Kahn.

“I got this information from Paul White, Big Show,” Strickland said. “One day we’re sitting in the catering. Also, one of the times I was just leaving and tagging in Keith Lee. So I was like, in that little singles gap, which happens to everybody. It doesn’t just happen in AEV, it happens everywhere in wrestling, when a tag team, then you separate, what are these two going for, okay?

“So he was just like, you know, one thing I always respected about John Cena, and you talked to the man, I thought he always got Vince what he wanted,” he continued.

Strickland shared more details about Cena’s relationship with Vince McMahon and how it helped the All Elite Wrestling star.

“He always made sure Vince got what he wanted. He’s the only guy I’ve ever seen, sitting in Gorilla watching him, where before he went out there, he’d say, ‘Vince, what do you want? What are you looking for?'” Strickland added. “And he would go out there and give him exactly what he asked for, exactly what he wanted. He came back and Vince said, ‘That’s what I asked for.’ So Vince said, That’s my guy to get exactly what I’m looking for, whether you agree with it or not, whether you like it or not, he’s going to come back and give this guy what he wants. And that’s why Cena is where Cena is.”

Further, Strickland also added that watching Cena’s methods helped Strickland change his own mindset and gain Khan’s trust.

Swerve Strickland shares his “best” moment of his professional wrestling career

In the same interview with Chris Van Vliet, Strickland talked about the “bottom” of his career.

“I would say just grinding independently between 2011, 12, 13, was the point of getting the wheels turning over and over again,” he shared. “That’s when both of my daughters were born. So it’s just like, okay, I’m making very little money now, no car, two daughters to feed, two different households.

“I still had the army, but I have all these responsibilities. But it took me a good couple of years to really find my footing and my groove, to really get in, just to keep it in order, it’s solved, it’s solved. OK, this is still behind, but I can figure something out. I think it was there. It was just a process of understanding,” he continued.

One of the top stars, Strickland recently returned from injury in the Full Gear in 2025