Swerve Strickland Opens Up on the Passing Of PAC (Exclusive)

The wrestling world has been reeling the entire week after the shocking and tragic passing of AEW star PAC, including his colleagues in the company like Swerve Strickland.

The self-proclaimed "Most Dangerous Man in AEW" has shared the ring with PAC on several occasions throughout their careers and has been inspired by his work dating back to his days as a trainee in wrestling.

With the Tribute To PAC announced for the September 30 edition of AEW Dynamite, Swerve has weighed in on how he has been handling this passing within the locker room of the promotion.

"How I was dealing with it is just like communicating, not staying quiet about it," Swerve Strickland told The Takedown On SI. "I don't mean like talking on social media. I'm talking about talking with your people, your peers, your friends and everything, opening up and let them know how you're feeling about those things, about like what you're feeling internally."

"Open up, express those things, let it out with your friends. Like, I was on the phone with Darby. He called me after hearing about it. Then my first immediate call was Ricochet. So, like reaching out because I know how long they've been together, for like 15 years in the dojos of Japan since Dragon Gate 2009 and things like that, so I know how heavy that was going to be on him."

Several stars on the AEW roster have spent almost two decades working with and forming a friendship with PAC, making this a heart-wrenching situation for most. Strickland wants to stay open with his friends and colleagues to make sure no one is cast away at this time.

"So just being for him consoling, making a couple more phone calls around the way, just everybody was reaching out and just speaking instead of just holding it in and casting themselves away from everybody," Strickland explained. "So I think that was probably the most important and most powerful thing that us as a locker room in AEW did with one another."

How Swerve will remember PAC

Thinking about his fondest memories of PAC, Swerve remembered his first time witnessing the late great's extraordinary in-ring ability against another AEW star who has passed away, Brodie Lee almost 15 years ago.

"Honestly, this goes way back to even before AEW was even a thing," Swerve said. "It was the first time I ever met, I wouldn't even say I met him, I was just amazed by him was 2011. It was a Dragon Gate USA doubleheader with CZW in the ECW Arena in Philadelphia and it was PAC vs. Brodie Lee."

"It's so surreal and almost eerie to know they both not here with us anymore, but it was the first time I see that style of wrestling ever those two going at it and afterwards I was like, 'I got to meet these guys, I got to at least tell them it was a great match.' I went up to him and I was still a trainee trying to work my way into CZW getting on shows and even Dragon Gate USA and I went up to Brodie Lee and I was like, 'yo, that was an awesome match, I never seen nothing like that' and he's like, 'thank you man, appreciate it.'"

Almost nine years later, Strickland had the opportunity to remind Brodie Lee of this match and interaction when they were working for WWE.

Tonight, All Elite Wrestling will honor the life, career and legacy of one of the greatest people we've ever known, @BastardPAC.

Join us for A Tribute to PAC, tonight! This one’s for Ben. pic.twitter.com/v3D7dPNvbm
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) September 30, 2026

"Then years later, when I was at the PC in the medical getting worked on, Brodie Lee was coming back from injury and he was trying to get cleared and I was like I haven't talked to him since that time, so this is almost nine years later. So I'm like, 'hey man, I remember your match with PAC or whatever back in the ECW Arena in Dragon Gate' and he was like, 'oh yeah man, that was the match that actually got me signed."

"I was like, 'really,' so that was really crazy and then I always talk PAC up about that match. I was like, 'yo man, that match blew my mind at the time' and he was like, 'oh really, thank you brother, thank you, appreciate it.' The last time I was in the ring with him was at All In when we won the Trios (Titles). They were the last three guys, it was Claudio, PAC and Gabe Kidd and so that was the last time I was in the ring with those guys."

If you use any quotes from this piece, please H/T The Takedown on SI.

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