Swerve Strickland Comments on Potential of Aleister Black Returning to AEW
As noted before, Aleister Black was released from WWE this past April as part of a larger batch of talent releases and departures. Black is currently not believed to be making a potential return to AEW while several within AEW’s locker room recently teased on social media that they do not want Black to return over issues involving his prior time in the company.
A recent episode of The Bootleg Kev podcast featured Swerve Strickland as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Strickland’s thoughts about the potential of Black making a return to AEW in the future.
“I just hope that Aleister — I hope Tommy finds what he’s looking for in this industry, this part of his career.”
Strickland also gave his thoughts about Black’s wife and former WWE talent Zelina Vega potentially joining AEW in the future.
“They’re both very talented and incredible people. Incredible talents. I just hope they find something that gives them the type of — I don’t know what it is that he’s really — whatever it is, I hope they find some place that gives them that. He has so many great ideas. He’s one of the guys that got me into NXT, him talking with Terry Taylor like, ‘This is a guy you’ve got to watch out for.’ I did tape studies with him in 2017. My last indie run, he was the guy I was going to. So, he really helped my mind a lot. I just hope he finds the place that gives him whatever it is that can fulfill him in the industry again.”
Transcript h/t: Fightful.com
Jungle Jack Perry Comments on How He Grew In Being “The Scapegoat”
A recent episode of the Talk Is Jericho podcast featured Jungle Jack Perry as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Perry’s thoughts about his rebranding as “The Scapegoat” character in New Japan Pro Wrestling following his backstage altercation with CM Punk at All In 2023 and bringing the character over for his return to AEW television in April of 2024.
“During the time, it was not nice. It was uncomfortable and scary. That’s why I think I ended up growing a lot because it forced me out of my (comfort zone). I was out for a long time. At that time, it was not something I ever anticipated happening, obviously. I always just imagined what my road would look like. ‘Work hard, do this.’ I never saw something like this. Now, I’m kind of grateful for it because a huge portion of the wrestling world turned on me, and I had always been wanting to make everybody like me. It was kind of holding me back as well because it’s not possible for everyone to like you. I was kind of playing it safe in a lot of ways. I realized, at a certain point, ‘Okay, now it’s done.’ There are people now where, they’re never going to like me. When I came to terms with that and realized that it kind of frees me because I don’t have to worry about trying to get this guy to like me, it’s like the shackles were off. I just dove into the deep end at that point. It’s not going to get worse.
I was at the gym, I remember texting you [Jericho], and you asked how it was going. ‘Really, not good,’ and you said, ‘Yeah, you’re the scapegoat.’ As soon as I saw the word, I was like, ‘That’s interesting.’ I didn’t actually know what it was or where it came from. I looked it up, and it’s an ancient religious thing where once a year, people used to sacrifice a goat to the devil, ‘please forgive us for our sins. Here is a goat.’ I thought it was cool because I was thinking I was the goat, and now I’m sacrificed to pay for the sins of other people. I put the word and imagery and made it this thing. It says the main archetype of the goat is Jesus, and I thought it was cool. People thought I was trying to be Raven. I was trying to be Jesus. I think a lot of that is what Raven was doing as well. ‘Let me be Jesus in this form of wrestling with this dark thing around.’ I really got into this thing I was creating. This allowed me to be me, but also get into this thematic stuff that was going on that felt like it could relate to my real life. I got to go to Japan and they don’t say anything, you come back from the match and there is a camera rolling. I watched Gabe Kidd, who is one of my favorite promo guys, he’d come back and be going insane. ‘You can do that?’ It allowed me to come back and not be so in my head about what I was going to say. I just said what I felt. That started the whole thing of ‘What do I want to do?’”
Transcript h/t: Fightful.com
Billie Starkz Graduates From College
AEW and Ring of Honor talent Billie Starkz announced on Twitter that she recently graduated from college.
“Officially graduated from college! Time to lock in on @ringofhonor. Survival of the Fittest.”
Officially graduated from college!
— BIG Billie Starkz • ビリー・スタークス (@BillieStarkz) May 13, 2026
Time to lock in on @ringofhonor Survival of the Fittest. pic.twitter.com/5zwBLKfZIH
Starkz is currently scheduled to compete in a ROH Women’s World Championship Survival of the Fittest match against Maya World, Trish Adora, Yuka Sakazaki, Zayda Steel, and champion Athena at this Friday’s ROH Supercard of Honor 2026 event.
AEW Collision Ratings – May 9, 2026 – Slightly Down
ROH TV Taping Spoilers from Palm Beach Gardens, FL
TrillerTV Files Lawsuit Against Parent Company Triller Group, Inc. Over Claims of Triller’s Dysfunction During Financial Crisis Led To Collapse of AEW Relationship
