Swerve Strickland Recorded Saying AEW Is Taking WWE SmackDown's Place On Fox

The wrestling world continues to wait for the official announcement of AEW's next TV deal, but former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland may have let a fairly massive cat out of the bag.

On Friday, YouTube entertainer Trevor "Queenzflip" Robinson released a video of himself walking around Coney Island's Sneaker Con. About 16 minutes in, he's shown encountering Strickland, and in the middle of their conversation, Strickland begins speaking about AEW's future and expresses excitement for a potential network move.

"We about to get on FOX," Strickland said. "'SmackDown's' leaving FOX, and we're taking FOX ... TNT, TBS and FOX. We got all three of them things."

It's unclear whether Strickland was aware he was being recorded. Strangely, Strickland's acquaintances are carrying what appears to be the AEW World Championship, or possibly a replica (Robinson briefly holds the belt and comments on its weight). Moreover, Strickland refers to himself as the AEW World Champion, even though Sneaker Con took place on September 21 and 22, almost a month after Strickland lost the title to Bryan Danielson in Wembley Stadium — an event Strickland references.

Rumors of AEW potentially getting a show on FOX in the wake of "SmackDown's" departure began flying earlier this month after a report from Fightful Select, though the idea dates back to at least September 2023 when "SmackDown's" impending move back to USA Network was announced. Nor were the waters calmed when Ibou of WrestlePurists claimed to have heard whispers of a new show called "AEW Shockwave" — a term AEW recently trademarked — that will air on FS1. Strickland's comment to Robinson, however, seemed to expressly indicate AEW getting a time slot on FOX network television.

At the time of writing, a deal between AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery has been reported to be in its final stages. Details on any potential collaboration between AEW and FOX remain unconfirmed.