On April 21, Swerve Strickland will have another opportunity to capture the AEW World Championship as he faces the reigning titleholder, Samoa Joe, at AEW Dynasty. Should Strickland win, he will boast his first singles title in AEW, having previously held the AEW Tag Team Championships alongside Keith Lee. As AEW President Tony Khan points out, though, a victory for Strickland would also mark a significant milestone for AEW as a company. 

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“It would mean the world to AEW [for Strickland to secure the AEW World Championship]. It would be a huge milestone, and I think it would mean a ton,” Khan told the “Battleground Podcast,” “I think it would mean so much in the career of Swerve Strickland. It would be certainly the highlight of his career so far as a big rising star in wrestling. He gets great receptions everywhere we go. Whenever the music plays and the question comes out, ‘Whose house?’, everybody in the crowd always screams out ‘Swerve’s House.’ People love Swerve. I think he’s got fans all over the world. Potentially, it could be a great milestone for AEW if Swerve was to become the first-ever African American AEW World Champion. He’s already been a great World Tag Team Champion in AEW. He’s a great part of the company.”

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For Strickland, AEW Dynasty serves as his second chance to claim the AEW World Championship, as his previous attempt at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view proved to be unsuccessful. For Joe, this upcoming match will be his fourth title defense since clutching the AEW World Championship with a win over MJF at AEW Worlds End in December.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Battleground Podcast” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.