Swerve Strickland
| Swerve Strickland | |
|---|---|
Strickland in February 2022 | |
| Birth name | Stephon Strickland |
| Born | September 30, 1990 Tacoma, Washington, U.S. |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Fred Strickland (cousin) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring names |
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| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Billed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Billed from | Tacoma, Washington |
| Trained by |
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| Debut | 2011 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | Reserve |
| Years of service | 2008–2015 |
Stephon Strickland (born September 30, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Swerve Strickland. He also appears on the independent circuit.
Strickland began his career in 2008 as Shane Strickland, working for several independent promotions until 2019 such as Major League Wrestling (MLW), Evolve Wrestling, and Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). He is a one-time MLW World Heavyweight Champion, one-time Evolve Champion, and one-time CZW World Heavyweight Champion. From 2014 until 2018, he performed in Lucha Underground as a masked wrestler named Killshot. In 2019, he signed a developmental contract with WWE, where he worked as Isaiah "Swerve" Scott in NXT and was part of the Hit Row stable; he won the NXT North American Championship once and was soon promoted to the main roster on SmackDown, but was released in November 2021.
Under the ring name Swerve Strickland, he signed with AEW in March 2022, going on to become a one-time AEW World Champion and one-time AEW World Tag Team Champion (with Keith Lee). He was the leader of the Mogul Embassy stable until May 2024.