Swerve Strickland Faces Torn Meniscus Ahead of Forbidden Door

AEW star Swerve Strickland is facing a legitimate knee injury as he heads into the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door event in London, with doctors assessing a torn meniscus that could require surgery. Despite the injury, Strickland remains on the card to challenge Kazuchika Okada for the AEW Unified Championship at Wembley Stadium, a match that could be complicated by any need for additional rehab or time off.

The injury is not a sudden development. Strickland has a history with a torn meniscus dating back to 2019, when he was training at the WWE Performance Center. At that time, he paused competition for about a month before returning to action. Current reports indicate the issue has persisted, and medical staff from the Jacksonville Jaguars—an NFL team owned in part by AEW’s executive team—are assisting with his recovery. There is a real possibility that the situation could spiral into a longer absence if surgery becomes necessary, though there has also been consideration of continuing to perform without surgical intervention.

In recent weeks, Strickland’s in-ring activity has been limited. After a high-profile victory at All In Texas with Will Ospreay, he returned to action briefly...