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Shane Strickland is currently showing a new side to himself in his AEW tag team with Keith Lee. Tony Khan showed a lot of faith in both talents by having the makeshift duo win the AEW Tag Team Championship in a division with the Young Bucks, FTR, Lucha Brothers, and plenty of other top tier duos that have huge respect by the audience.
Strickland and Lee having killer matches and becoming compelling characters made it work when they ended the Young Bucks title reign. However, one great part of their evolution is how different the characters are. Strickland showing more of a heel side during the tag title reign can help lead to a lot more success on his own sooner than later.
Shane Strickland Is Already AEW's Most Underrated Signing
AEW falling into a spender’s habit of adding many top names from the free agent market made Shane Strickland fly under the radar. CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Christian Cage, Big Show, and Mark Henry had the luster of legendary names joining a new company. The hungry proven talents of Andrade, Malakai Black, Adam Cole, and Ruby Soho received huge attention when each of those names joined the company.
RELATED: 10 Things You Should Know About AEW's Shane Strickland
Even some names getting signed around the same time as Strickland with similar name value on the market like Keith Lee, Jay Lethal, and Toni Storm felt like bigger deals with how AEW portrayed them. Strickland was coming off a lackluster WWE run that never really got going, and impressive independent wrestling matches that fewer fans were aware of. Swerve was just popular enough to add a positive feeling for his signing, but no one was truly valuing him in the way he deserved.
AEW has witnessed Strickland having stellar performances and coming off as a big star just based on his natural aura. The current tag team run of Lee and Strickland is working, but Swerve is the one surprisingly standing out more between the two. There were even a few celebrity involvements for AEW that went viral thanks to Strickland setting it up with his own connections. AEW is already benefiting from Strickland more than quite a few bigger signings.
Shane Strickland Has A Unique Character Dynamic With Keith Lee
Most fans assumed that Keith Lee and Shane Strickland would break up after losing their tag title match against the Young Bucks. The shock added to the moment when Lee and Strickland won the AEW Tag Team Championship for an emotional memory. However, Strickland and Lee appeared to be on different sides of the character arc when getting this title shot.
There were slight hints of arrogance or a general dismissal by Swerve to make it feel like he wasn’t on the same page with Lee. AEW has used shades of grey storytelling to see them making it work as two superb athletes that like each other. However, they have drastically different approaches to how they interact with opponents that alter the face/heel dynamic.
The Acclaimed getting cheered massively over Strickland and Lee at All Out 2022 showed that perfectly. Lee has been respectful by shaking hands and being cordial when talking about the scenario. Strickland showed more of a heel side by not offering the same respect and even disrespecting them by interrupting Max Caster’s rap on the following Dynamite to loud boos.
Shane Strickland Is The Next Big Thing For AEW
The most fascinating thing about Shane Strickland’s current rise in AEW is that it feels like he’s only just scratching the surface of what he can offer. Strickland was considered one of Shawn Michaels’ favorite performers he felt could become stars in NXT, but he never had the same opportunities as Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, and some of those other names. Strickland has a lot of support that is starting to be proven right as he inches closer towards his potential.
Most fans want to see The Acclaimed win the belts from Lee and Swerve at AEW Grand Slam, since this is an organic story that deserves a happy ending. Strickland specifically being the one to insult them would just further his advance if they take the titles off him.
Lee making it clear he wasn’t on board with Strickland dissing The Acclaimed show their characters are still apart. This scenario existing a few months ago would have seen Lee’s face push being more important. However, Strickland is the one that has shown a massive improvement more and more each week. AEW badly needs new talents to step up with CM Punk, Kenny Omega, Adam Cole, Christian Cage, and others off television right now. Strickland is the talent that appears most ready to take the ball and move into a top role.
