AEW Champ Swerve Strickland Recalls First Interactions With MJF

Long before they were AEW co-workers, AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland and former AEW World Champion MJF had plenty of history. The two had met each other many times while wrestling on the independent circuit, and had followed similar paths, having both gotten their start in the Northeast for independent promotions such as CZW, and getting further exposure while competing for the relaunched MLW. So far, however, Strickland and MJF haven't interacted as much in AEW, save for a backstage promo here or there.

That subject wasn't on Strickland's mind when he was asked about MJF in an interview with "Sports Illustrated." Instead, Strickland gave his initial impressions of the Long Island native when they first crossed paths during the early stages of MJF's career, when he was still only a teenager.

"All I remember about him was his hunger," Strickland said. "He wasn't afraid. That's what set him apart...he didn't have that fear of going wherever he needed to be to get better. Max wanted to be around great competition. Even when he was young, he always put himself around top talent and he wanted to test himself in hard conditions. That's how he got so good at such a young age."

Strickland believes that MJF has kept that work ethic into his late 20s, which he feels has left his potential future rival with little else to accomplish. However, Strickland believes MJF will never admit that, meaning he will continue to strive for more as his career continues on.

"I don't think Max has anything left to prove," Strickland said. "That's how good he is. But he'll never tell himself that or allow himself to believe that. He'll always keep working."