Swerve Strickland Praises Prince Nana as His ‘Guardian Angel’

Former AEW World Tag Team Champion Swerve Strickland has spoken about the enormous influence his manager, Prince Nana, has had on his career. Still recovering from his grueling steel cage match against Hangman Page, Strickland stopped by The Rich Eisen Show to look back at his time away from AEW Dynamite and where Nana fit in with regard to his success.

Strickland then gave praise to Nana for being able to hold his own on *AEW Dynamite* for several weeks. “Now you’re seeing how Prince navigates the backstage without me,” said Strickland. “You peel back another layer right there and see Nana’s little excursions while I’m away.”

Nana vs.

MVP Showdown

Although he got into a war of words with MVP, who called him out for “shucking and jiving” not long ago, Swerve has Nana’s back. The issue with MVP was so heated that he threatened a possible in-ring comeback, promising he would lace up his boots if it came down.

Although some might not take Prince seriously without Strickland, the former AEW World Champion still appreciates having him around. “[Michael] Jordan didn’t win anything until [Bulls coach] Phil Jackson came along, you need that extra push,” Swerve explained.

“I have no problem saying Prince took a dance and a visual to a song and took it over the top.” Strickland also mentioned that everyone in his group plays an important role. He shares a specific bond with Nana since both have related musical backgrounds, as he worked as a DJ before his AEW days.

“He’s a guardian angel to me,” Swerve added. “If he wasn’t there, what would’ have happened? If Nana wasn’t there, I would’ve lost the Texas Deathmatch. If Prince weren’t there, Luchasaurus would’ve killed me with a chair on the House of The Dragons match.” While Strickland is still recovering, there’s a different reason for celebration: his newly signed, multi-year deal in AEW that will keep him part of the promotion for several years.