WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon had a conversation with Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, who currently goes by the ring name Swerve Strickland in AEW. The star recently opened up about a backstage conversation he had with Stephanie when he was part of the company.
Swerve Strickland talks about Stephanie McMahon
Swerve Strickland opened up about his run with WWE on Talk is Jericho and revealed how Shawn Michaels’ valuable advice helped him become a better star. He said that Triple H was more like a boss to him than a friend, but he had a better relationship with Michaels. Strickland went on to recall how Stephanie McMahon told him that he was her favorite heel in NXT after he faced Bronson Reed in a match:
“Next match, me and Jonah (Bronson Reed) went two segments, 12 minutes, beat the crap out of each other and Shawn (Michaels) was like, ‘That’s what I like, that’s what I want to see. Now you’re in there.’ Then we did the TakeOver: Stand and Deliver with the Gauntlet match, I started first, went 25 minutes, lasted till the end with me and Jonah, put Jonah over. Stephanie McMahon comes to the back and says, ‘You’re my favorite heel on the show.’ Like, literally she said I’m her favorite. ‘Well, Trips (Triple H), you hear that?'”
Strickland had joined WWE in 2019 and debuted in NXT the same year. He became the North American Champion in June 2021 when he defeated Bronson Reed, but lost the title to Carmelo Hayes in October. He was part of The Hit Row faction which was called up to the main roster. They were drafted to SmackDown in the 2021 Draft but all the four members of the faction were released a little while after their call-up.
