Roderick Strong has returned to independent wrestling.
Strong made his AEW debut on the April 26 episode of AEW Dynamite, and Tony Khan announced that he signed with the company. Prior to this appearance, Strong had not wrestled since August 2022, as he was absent from WWE TV for the last several months of his run with the company. Following his arrival in AEW, Strong returned to the ring on on the May 3 episode of AEW Dynamite. He later defeated Chris Jericho in a Falls Count Anywhere Match on the May 17 episode.
On June 18, Strong returned to the independent scene, as he faced Kevin Blackwood at Prestige Wrestling's Black Sunshine event. After a hard-hitting, thrilling match, Strong scored the victory. During the bout, he reminded everyone why he is the Messiah of the Backbreaker, as he hit Blackwood with a number of his signature moves.
- End of Heartache -@roderickstrong #BlackSunshine on IWTV pic.twitter.com/mH9zIRb9Vc
— JJ Williams (@JJWilliamsWON) June 19, 2023
Strong had not wrestled at an independent wrestling show since he competed at EVOLVE 129 and 130 in June 2019, and EVOLVE had a working relationship with WWE. Other than two other EVOLVE events in 2018, Strong had not competed at an independent wrestling show since July 2016.
Fightful Select previously reported more information about Strong's move to AEW. More information iis available here.
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