Swerve Strickland: Bryan Danielson is the greatest of all time

Swerve Strickland praised Bryan Danielson during a recent interview with Sports Illustrated.

Strickland said that his upcoming challenger at AEW All In is the greatest wrestler of all time, but added that Danielson has never faced anyone like him.

“Bryan’s not just experienced, he’s the greatest of all time,” said Strickland. “That’s who I’m going up against–a first-ballot Hall of Famer. I’ve never faced anyone like him. But he’s never faced anyone like me.”

Strickland, who was born in Tacoma, also spoke about how he, Danielson, and other AEW stars have done a lot for wrestling in the Pacific Northwest.

“I’m so proud of what we’re doing for the Pacific Northwest,” Strickland continued. “We’re both from Washington. There’s me and Darby, and I know the people from DEFY are proud of that, and Bryan Danielson, who has been doing it at a high level a lot longer than us. Now we’re main-eventing one of the bigger shows of the year. There is a lot of Pacific Northwest pride going into that.”

Strickland’s family moved away from Tacoma when he was young but he’s performed for DEFY dating back to 2017. He defeated Vikingo in his last match for the promotion in October 2023.

“Bryan told me I’m a special breed of talent,” Strickland added. “I’m also a special breed of danger. I know we wrestled before, but he’s never faced me like this. Bryan is facing me after my Texas Deathmatch against Hangman Page. He’s facing me after I beat Will Ospreay–and Christian Cage and Samoa Joe.”

“I’m a different beast. I can’t wait for him to see it.”

All In will be the second singles match between Danielson and Strickland. The first took place on the October 10, 2023, edition of AEW Dynamite. Danielson picked up the win in a match that went 16 minutes.