Swerve Strickland is a great example of a former “WWE NXT” Black & Gold sweetheart finding success outside of the promotion, with both an AEW World Championship and AEW World Tag Team Championship reign under his belt. Strickland has never shied away from hitting back at detractors who criticize his AEW run, but in an interview with “Baller Alert,” he offered one reason why he continues to choose the promotion over other options. 

“AEW by far,” Strickland said when asked who pays more between AEW and WWE. “Because it’s guaranteed.” Historically, WWE only began to offer guaranteed paychecks in the 1990s. Prior to that, the entirety of a wrestler’s pay was based on percentages of merchandise sold, pay-per-view buys, and other royalties. According to Strickland, only a select number of WWE stars receive most of their income guaranteed.

“They got their select few up top that – like the top, top, top – just like the untouchables, but a lot of those guys are starting to retire now,” Strickland added, referring to wrestlers like John Cena and AJ Styles. “That pyramid is starting to really get really pointy and small at the top. … [Tony Khan] treats the roster like  athletes. … He’s a player’s booker. He’s in tune with his talent and his roster, and where to put those guys.”

The AEW star further expressed that Tony Khan runs AEW like a football team, and claimed that he gets along very well with his boss. Strickland believes Khan understands his strengths as a performers, which extends to most of the roster. “He knows how to utilize all his players in the right way, so therefore he knows how to pay them, too.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Baller Alert” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.