Bully Ray Says Wednesday's Dynamite Was Swerve Strickland's Best Night In AEW
The internet wrestling community was thrilled with the confrontation between Swerve Strickland and Adam Page on this week's "AEW Dynamite," and Bully Ray is in agreement with a lot of fans who believe Strickland delivered the best promo of his AEW career. "Venture to say that tonight was the best night in AEW for Swerve Strickland," Bully said on "Busted Open Radio." "I liked what I saw in the ring, his presence, the way he carries himself, the way he separates himself from everybody else in the ring — and commands the spotlight. Swerve makes the spotlight find him."
During his exchange with Page, Strickland brought up the fact that The Elite member was positioned as AEW's "franchise player" when the promotion opened its doors in 2019, and has since been handed countless opportunities that someone like him hasn't been afforded. Strickland would also proclaim that he'd have been crowned AEW's first Black World Champion if given the same opportunities as Page. Reflecting on the promo, Bully argued that Strickland warrants more TV time rather than making sporadic appearances — as has been the case with him and many others on AEW's crowded roster.
"What happened to the Swerve-Keith Lee match? What happened to those two guys with tattoos that were with Swerve? Let's get away from all of that," Bully stressed. "Give Swerve TV time every week. Let that whole Swerve swagger, demeanor, and heelish feel that he has really set in and resonate. Because I thought it worked tonight." It appears AEW could be building towards a singles match between Strickland and Page either at the upcoming "Dynamite: Grand Slam" TV special or WrestleDream pay-per-view. In the meantime, Page will wrestle Brian Cage — Strickland's Mogul Affiliates stablemate — next Wednesday on "Dynamite" after being laid out by "The Machine" this week.