Swerve Strickland has identified Tyler, The Creator as the hip-hop artist he would most like to collaborate with, making clear that he sees the potential partnership as something that could extend far beyond a conventional music feature.

During a brief conversation with Don Chenz, the AEW star was asked which artist he would want to work alongside. Strickland did not hesitate in naming Tyler, The Creator, whose work has crossed music, visual presentation and fashion throughout his career.

“Tyler, The Creator. I would collab with him on anything; it doesn’t even have to be music. Fashion. Yeah, let’s go.”

The answer fits Strickland’s broader creative identity in wrestling. While he is currently one of AEW’s World Trios Champions, Strickland has regularly presented himself as more than an in-ring competitor. His presentation has placed significant emphasis on music, style, atmosphere and character work, with each element helping establish the distinctive “Swerve” brand. A collaboration with an artist as visually and musically eclectic as Tyler, The Creator would therefore make sense as a creative ambition, even if Strickland did not indicate that a project is currently planned.

For more background on this topic, read Kenny Omega Explains Why Japan Became the Natural Destination for His Wrestling Career.

Tyler, The Creator has built a reputation for treating albums, live performances, clothing and imagery as connected components of one larger artistic vision. That makes Strickland’s answer notable. Rather than limiting the idea to a theme song, a video appearance or a one-off track, he specifically opened the door to fashion and other forms of creative work.

Strickland’s crossover interests remain part of his appeal

Professional wrestling has long shared an overlap with hip-hop culture, from entrance themes and music videos to artist appearances, fashion and the use of wrestling imagery in lyrics. For a modern performer, that connection can also be an important avenue for building an audience outside weekly television. Strickland’s answer reflects an interest in that larger cultural space.

His willingness to name fashion specifically is also revealing. Wrestling gear is often an extension of a performer’s character, but Strickland’s comment suggests he is thinking beyond ring attire alone. Tyler, The Creator’s work in fashion has helped make him a natural choice for an artist interested in building a complete aesthetic around his public identity.

There was no indication that Strickland and Tyler, The Creator have discussed working together, and Strickland framed the selection as a personal wish rather than an announcement. Still, it offers a clear look at the kind of collaborator he would seek: an artist with a strong individual voice who moves between mediums without being defined by just one of them.

That outlook is particularly relevant for Strickland at this stage of his AEW run. He continues to carry championship responsibilities while remaining one of the promotion’s most recognizable personalities. A performer’s success in that position can be shaped as much by the clarity of their presentation as their victories, and Strickland has consistently placed value on both sides of that equation.

DMX and Method Man earn Strickland’s wrestling picks

Strickland was also asked which rappers he believes would have made the best professional wrestlers. He named the late DMX and a “prime” Method Man, two choices that speak to different but equally compelling forms of charisma.

DMX’s intensity, unmistakable voice and raw physical presence made him one of hip-hop’s most forceful personalities. In a wrestling setting, those qualities could easily translate into a larger-than-life entrance, an aggressive promo style and a character audiences would immediately understand. The choice is especially fitting considering how often wrestling relies on performers being able to communicate conviction in a matter of seconds.

Method Man, meanwhile, has long been associated with confidence, presence and a natural ease in front of an audience. Strickland’s use of the word “prime” points to the version of Method Man whose energy and star power were at their most potent. The Wu-Tang Clan member has also had a visible relationship with wrestling culture over the years, making him a logical name in a conversation about hip-hop figures who could have thrived in the industry.

Neither selection was presented as a technical scouting report. Instead, Strickland’s choices underline a central truth about wrestling: the attributes that make a compelling wrestler are not limited to athletic ability. Presence, timing, physicality, crowd connection and the ability to project a distinct persona all matter. DMX and Method Man each possessed qualities that could have translated to that environment in very different ways.

The question also reinforces the natural exchange between rap and wrestling. Both mediums reward memorable personalities, catchphrases, live crowd reactions and the ability to make an audience feel that a performer’s confidence is genuine. Strickland, as someone who operates comfortably in both wrestling and music-adjacent creative spaces, is well positioned to recognize that shared language.

Shawn Michaels’ WrestleMania 12 entrance remains the standard

When the discussion turned to the greatest wrestling entrance of all time, Strickland gave credit to a more recent AEW spectacle before naming his definitive choice. He said Will Ospreay’s entrance at AEW All In: London “was pretty up there,” but placed Shawn Michaels’ zipline arrival at WrestleMania 12 in a category of its own.

“[Will Ospreay’s entrance at AEW All In: London] was pretty up there,” Strickland said, before calling Shawn Michaels’ WrestleMania 12 zipline entrance “untouchable.”

Michaels’ descent from the rafters remains one of the most enduring images in WrestleMania history. The entrance was designed for a moment of major consequence, as Michaels prepared to face Bret Hart in the event’s Iron Man Match. It combined spectacle, risk, confidence and a sense of occasion in a way that has remained memorable decades later.

For Strickland to call it “untouchable” is high praise, particularly from a performer who understands how much entrances can shape the audience’s expectations before a match even begins. A great entrance does not replace the match that follows, but at the biggest events it can establish the mood, communicate a wrestler’s status and create an image that survives long after the final bell.

Ospreay’s All In: London entrance also earned recognition from Strickland as one of the standout modern examples. That acknowledgment illustrates how entrances continue to evolve alongside production values, venue scale and performer creativity. Wrestlers today can draw on elaborate staging, music and visual concepts, but the greatest entrances still depend on the same basic ingredient that defined Michaels’ WrestleMania moment: a performer whose presence makes the spectacle feel meaningful.

World Trios Champions continue to build momentum

Strickland’s creative comments arrive while he remains active in AEW competition as one-third of the World Trios Champions alongside The New Level, Kofi and Austin Creed. Earlier this month, the trio successfully defended the titles on the Rebel Heart edition of AEW Dynamite against The Conglomeration’s Kyle O’Reilly, Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong.

The victory kept Strickland, Kofi and Creed in possession of the championships and added another successful defense to their run as a unit. Their opponents brought a varied challenge, with O’Reilly’s submission-oriented approach, Cassidy’s unorthodox style and Strong’s hard-hitting offense creating a combination that requires constant adjustment from any opposing team.

For Strickland, the title defense also continued a period in which he has balanced the demands of championship wrestling with the broader personality that has made him one of AEW’s prominent figures. His remarks about Tyler, The Creator, DMX, Method Man, Ospreay and Michaels all point back to the same principle: wrestling is strongest when athletes bring a fully formed sense of identity into the arena.

Whether Strickland ever gets the chance to create with Tyler, The Creator remains to be seen. For now, his answer provides a concise statement of his ambitions outside the ring, while his ongoing work with The New Level keeps him focused on championship success inside it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.