How Swerve Strickland Deeply Disappointed One WWE Hall Of Famer

A WWE Hall of Famer has fired back at Swerve Strickland.

During a recent interview with Vlad TV, Swerve Strickland addressed his WWE exit and suggested an unnamed member of Hit Row was responsible for the group being fired. The star said he’d been told that the person involved had been “aggressive” and this caused heat with Vince McMahon.

The wrestler in question is AJ Francis, and he quickly dismissed the idea that he’d acted aggressively in any way, pointing to the fact WWE eventually re-hired him.

Elsewhere, he also took issue with Booker T who had previously suggested he’d been treated fairly, commenting “That’s not what happened when Vince [McMahon] said the n-word in front of you.”

Unsurprisingly, Booker hasn’t taken the slight lying down, and he’s now fired back at Strickland.

Booker T Confronted Swerve Strickland

On his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T wasted little time in taking Strickland to task for his comments and revealed he’s already spoken to him in person.

“I was at an event this weekend in Richmond, Virginia. Low and behold, who was at the same event with me, actually as a part of the same party. It was literally the first person I ran into the morning of the event.

Just like Swerve Strickland said, me having the energy when Vince McMahon said the N-word, rest assured I had the energy when I saw him because I approached Swerve Strickland and I had a conversation with Swerve Strickland. Let’s talk about the conversation with Swerve Strickland.”

Booker continued by saying that he was offered an interview on Vlad TV in the past, but he turned it down. The WWE Hall of Famer said he was disappointed in Strickland’s comments because he feels he broke down barriers for people like the AEW star.

“I had an offer to be on Vlad TV before as well and I turned it down. They called me back and they offered me money to go on Vlad TV and I turned it down because I was not going to go on Vlad TV and be exploited. I wasn’t going to go on Vlad TV and have him make me look like a fool in front of the world, I was not going to do that.

I wasn’t going to go on Vlad TV and say anything negative towards any Black man that’s ever been in this business because I know how hard it is for all of us. I’ve been the first one saying it, any brother getting his bag, I’m all in 100%. I told Swerve Strickland to his face how disappointed I am in him as a young brother because all I did for Swerve Strickland was put him over and put him on a pedestal as being one of the best out there, that he deserves to being the AEW Champion.

For him to say something like that about me — I don’t know if these guys think racism stopped in 1990 when I got in the business, but it didn’t. You may not hear about a lot of racial issues with Booker T because I handled racial issues handfirst. I opened doors, I broke down barriers for people like Swerve Strickland.

Swerve Strickland would perhaps not even be here if it wasn’t for me. I have to apologize for nothing that I’ve done in this business because I’ve gone out there and I have literally represented in the ring and out of the ring from day one all the way to this day in 2025.”

The veteran went on to suggest that Vlad TV was looking to pit himself and Strickland against each other, and he’d played right into that.

“You speak on Vince McMahon and him saying the N- word, you want me to be angry Black man in the company. You want me to not open doors and make spaces for people like you, that’s what you want me to do.

Swerve Strickland, I hope you’re never gonna be in the movies, I hope you’re never gonna be on a movie set because you might hear somebody say the N-word and if you’ve got a problem with it, they’re gonna tell your ass to get the hell out of here, this is a movie, alright?

I’m upset because more importantly I’m disappointed in Swerve Strickland because what I told him — I’ll repeat it just like I repeated it to him, you got played. You got played bro. You got played. You let that man play you and pitch you against me and me against you.

I don’t know how many stories you’ve ever heard about that on Vlad TV, but there’s many of them. There’s many stories out there about the Black man against the Black man because Vlad is pitting them against each other. I don’t know how many people you know that have been locked up from the federal perspective by going on Vlad TV.

I don’t know what the hell you’re doing on Vlad TV first of all. What have you done to be on Vlad TV? That’s just my opinion on that. As far as Swerve Strickland — and me having the energy, the varascity, I got all that. I’m still six foot three inches tall, two hundred and thirty pounds of stomping, grave damn digging, destruction Jack.”

Booker went on to discuss the use of the N-word more specifically, and his feelings on how it’s normalised in certain sections of pop culture.

“I want to get something out there to a lot of people as far as this N-word thing. When I stop hearing it on the radio every day, then we can have this conversation. When I stop hearing it as a term of endearment in a lot of places and circles, then we can talk about this.

As far as the N-word goes, it’s not a word that nobody has ever heard me say but one time in my life, especially in this business or around any of my peers or anything like that, my co-workers or anything like that. That’s not something I do.

As far as this business goes, I’ve always looked at this business like it was a movie. I’ve always looked at this business like it was entertainment and when something like that is embellished, even on the show and for him to question me and who I am as a Black man and having to go through this life and deal with racism, bro you better get the hell out of my face.

I’ve never kissed ass, nobody can ever put that statement on me. For him, you don’t know me. You don’t know me that well to speak on that and I just wanted to get that across to him and anybody else that thinks that way because him and I shouldn’t be going back and forth at each other and he shouldn’t let somebody else put him and I [against each other].

Because he got a problem with the company? That’s a statement you’re stepping into, that’s a land mine you’re just falling off for no reason. You’re making noise for no reason. Like I said, I know I’ve opened doors for people like Swerve Strickland.

Just like that statement I said about him, I didn’t have to say that. Why did I say it? I said it because I thought the guy was a damn good wrestler. I don’t have the book, but one thing I do know, cream rises to the top.

If you think you’re hot, throw everything in, I know that’s what I did. I could’ve sat on a contract when I came from WCW and made big money, but I said nah, I’m going to gamble on myself and go in head first and see exactly how good I am.”

With regard to Strickland’s comments about Black talent not being used on pay-per-views, Booker said it wasn’t a problem in his career, and there may have been a drop off in talent since.

He then explained that Strickland’s response to him while they were face to face was very telling.

“I can tell you this, he never said that he didn’t get played. He never said that and that right there spoke volumes to me. It’s not really about what he said, I just wanted to let him know how disappointed I was in him. I just wanted to let him know how disappointed I was in him for going out there.”

Vlad TV has since claimed that Booker agreed to appear on the show, but the interview never happened because of a timing issue.

H/t to Fightful