Roderick Strong Opens Up About His Departure From WWE & The Secrecy Of His AEW Debut

Roderick Strong has opened up about his journey to AEW, and how he decided to join the company over continuing with WWE.

Strong was a recent guest on the "AEW Unrestricted" podcast, where he stated that he was negotiating with both AEW and WWE before he chose to join the former earlier this year.

"In August of last year, I got injured and I was out for some time. When it was getting closer to the year, my contract, actually, expired from WWE," said Strong. "It was just one of those situations where, one, I was rehabbing in a pretty decent place but not exactly sure what was going to go on with me at that time. I had someone representing me just kind of reached out and I was talking to both companies. It was one of those weird things it just felt like it was almost inevitable."

The 40-year-old said that the desire to reunite with his friends and be a part of the same company as his wife, Marina Shafir, made him choose AEW over WWE. "I really wanted to be with my buddies and with my wife," said the former Diamond Mine leader.

Strong further stated that AEW reminded him a lot of Ring of Honor, which he was a part of during his early years in the pro wrestling business. He feels that the collective effort to want to make things better in AEW is reminiscent of his days in ROH.

Roderick Strong made his AEW debut in April, when he reunited with his Undisputed Era buddy Adam Cole, saving him from an attack by the Jericho Appreciation Society. The former NXT North American Champion said that keeping his debut a secret was tough. 

"It was very difficult," Strong said about his debut being a secret. "But, it's also something that I feel bad because I misled people. I didn't outright lie, but you do realize, especially nowadays, there are no real secrets anymore in wrestling. And to actually be able to be one is huge. It's something that people will remember forever."

Strong said that he went to great lengths to keep his debut a secret, even not telling some of his family about signing with AEW. The former WWE star revealed that he was incredibly nervous on his AEW debut. 

Since joining AEW, Strong has feuded with the Jericho Appreciation Society and even defeated Chris Jericho in a singles match. He has also been involved in the storyline between Adam Cole and MJF, warning his friend to not trust the AEW World Champion.