Swerve Strickland: Christian Cage Is A Ghost Of My Past That Has Come Back To Haunt Me

Swerve Strickland previews his match against Christian Cage.

Strickland is set to defend the AEW World Championship against Cage at the Double Or Nothing pay-per-view on Sunday, May 26. This will Strickland's first pay-per-view defense of the title that he was able to capture from Samoa Joe back at AEW Dynasty.

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While speaking to TMZ Sports for a new interview, Strickland talked about his history with Cage and how he created all of his enemies back in 2023.

“Our history together dates all the way back to August 2023 at Wembley Stadium, we tagged together. I was the one that got put in the coffin by Sting & Darby Allin and lost. He has not forgotten about that, he has not forgiven me for that. I thought those things could’ve just parted ways and we would’ve just been good, but he’s also fostered Nick Wayne, we all know what I’ve done to Nick Wayne, I’ve broke into his father’s wrestling school and beat him down and bloodied him. If anything, The Patriarchy, the people that follow Christian, that’s kind of created by me. All of the bad things I did in 2023 created my enemies now.

Strickland then went on to praise Cage, noting that he's a legend in the industry.

"That’s my ghost of my past coming back to haunt me and Christian is not someone you want to take lightly, that’s a former world champion. That’s a legend in this industry. Don’t let his age fool you, the man still has a peak physique. He looks phenomenal, he’s smarter than he ever has been before. Daggers on the microphone, people believe him and he’s main evented AEW pay-per-views before. So, that’s someone I’m learning a lot from, but it’s also someone I gotta be more calculated and a lot smarter then. Once again, he’s a multi-time world champion, he has a tenure. I’m new, so this disadvantage is wavering there as far as intelligence. But, my physical is stronger than it’s ever been before. I’ve literally gained 30 pounds in that last eight months. My relentlessness, I can inflict a lot of pain. I put down Samoa Joe the same way, so I feel like I’m gonna do the same with Christian. I have a lot more tricks up my sleeve as well.”

Strickland is set to compete against Brian Cage on the May 15 edition of AEW Dynamite. Check out the full lineup for the show by clicking here.

Also, Strickland recently revealed that a Bun B has recorded a remix for 'Big Pressure'. Learn more here.

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