Highlights
- Roderick Strong's recent AEW signing initially faced criticism, but he has proven to be one of the most entertaining performers in his career.
- AEW capitalized on Strong's pathetic character, portraying him as a jealous ex-partner obsessed with Adam Cole, and it has been comedic gold.
- The combination of Strong's in-ring skills and his perfect gimmick has allowed him to reach the next level in his career, making him a standout performer in AEW.
Roderick Strong has a reputation for being a great in-ring worker, and his time spent in the likes of ROH and NXT (black & gold) showcased exactly that. He was a World Champion in the old Ring of Honor, and won tag team gold in the likes of NXT too - not to mention the North American Championship as well. However, there has always been something missing to Strong’s game, and that is a captivating character. His recent signature to AEW has opened up a whole new side of Strong that has never been seen before, and he is now doing some of the best work of his whole professional wrestling career.
Roderick Strong’s AEW Signing Was Initially Questionable
AEW have brought in a lot of names over the last few years, arguably even too many from some fans’ perspective. When Roderick Strong was brought into the company after the lackluster end to his WWE spell, he was a signing that many looked down on. His start to life in AEW wasn’t overly enthralling, feeling as though he was getting lost in the shuffle as just one of Adam Cole’s friends. Strong would compete in the Owen Hart Tournament, getting demolished by Samoa Joe and beaten down after the bell, writing him off TV for a short while. Little did fans know, this was the lead up to the best portion of Strong’s entire career.
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When Strong came back, he sported a neck brace, and bore witness to the brand new friendship between MJF and Adam Cole. Given MJF’s history, Strong was rightfully suspicious about MJF’s intentions, and gave Cole the advice to drop this new ally and to see that it was all part of some bigger plan. As the relationship between MJF and Cole strengthened, the more irate Strong was becoming, showcasing frustration. This led to the Kingdom (Matt Taven and Mike Bennett) coming to his side and consoling him. At first, Strong’s character was unlikable and he looked silly, but that turned out to be the point.
Roderick Strong’s Character Work Has Been Sensational
Whether it was by design or whether AEW fell into a happy accident with some bad booking that turned out good, they went all in on the pathetic nature of Strong’s character. His obsession with Cole and the jealousy he was showing was brought to the forefront, and he came across as a psycho ex-partner who couldn’t allow someone he cares about to have another friend in their life, and it has been comedy gold. Lectures on neck health, hospital segments, and needing to be babied by his Kingdom allies has been genius.
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Strong’s continual wearing of the neck brace (even at airports to keep up kayfabe) has been a nice bit, and the other little details such as his glasses and new render for matches has all been brilliant too. For the first time perhaps ever, he has become hugely entertaining on the microphone. His whiny, over-the-top, and dramatic delivery is excellent, and his cries of “ADAMMM” are both annoying but also entertaining. Every element and detail of this new gimmick has completely delivered, and it is something that has only been getting better by the week. The fact that he was even factored into the AEW All In main event match just goes to show how successful this whole thing has been.
Roderick Strong Now Has The Full Package As A Performer
The end game for Strong and Cole in AEW isn’t yet clear, but it could well lead up to Cole turning heel and siding with Strong. That being said, Strong’s character has been so good that AEW should hold off on breaking up Cole and MJF for even longer. This has been something welcomed by fans anyway, and there is now more than reason to continue the alliance of the ROH World Tag Team Champions.
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For Strong, he has always had it in the ring, and it led to him being renowned for being a wonderful worker, but as was the case in NXT, this alone can grow tiresome and it isn’t necessarily the best attribute to focus on to get over and find success. In AEW, he has unlocked a proper gimmick which is different to anything he’s done before, and he is an absolute natural at it. He can still factor in his world-class in-ring work too, but matching that with a gimmick that he is made for has finally allowed him to grow into that next level. He has found his calling, and despite world title reigns in the past and a great NXT run alongside the Undisputed Era, this is the most entertaining Roderick Strong has ever been in his career.
