Swerve Strickland Shares That Allen Iverson Gave Stamp Of Approval For His Reebok Shoe

Strickland dives into the shoe deal with Reebok and getting the stamp of approval from basketball legend Allen Iverson.

Strickland got the thumbs up from ‘The Answer.’

All Elite Wrestling/Swerve Strickland and Reebok collaborated to release the ‘Reebok Answer 3 Swerve’ shoe.

Strickland’s new signature footwear was discussed on a recording of the Battleground Podcast, and he dove into the collaborative process to get the ball rolling. Strickland shared that basketball legend and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Allen Iverson gave his stamp of approval for the shoe. Iverson has a lifetime contract with Reebok and serves as their basketball division’s Vice President.

Strickland revealed that on day one of the release, 700 shoes were sold.

“It was something that All Elite Wrestling always wanted to capitalize on with me. The one that was previous was gonna be personalized, one by a friend of mine, Mache, who has his own brand. He did collaborative shoes with Odell Beckham Jr., with Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson and Stefon Diggs. He’s big in the NFL, you know, in the world and he also has golf shoes now too. That was about to be something we were gonna partner and really sign off, do something bigger with. But All Elite Wrestling, they were like, ‘Alright, you have the option to do this, or, we have the option to do this, and really blow this up and keep it under the All Elite Wrestling umbrella and truly reach out to the connections that we have. Not only just make this your thing but, a true partner and collaborative brand, and reaching out to Reebok, adding on Allen Iverson, who collaborated and posted and gave the thumbs up for this sneaker was something I couldn’t pass up, you know? So that was something I had to put all my efforts and energy with and just my branding… That shows the impact that I have being here in All Elite Wrestling. It wasn’t just me. It was All Elite Wrestling, Tony Khan, Linda (Leludis), Chris Peck and a lot of these guys like Kosha (Irby) that came together to really put their best foot forward to make sure that this came out a success. We wanted to come out the gate with a success, a bona fide, guaranteed success with Champs (Sports) and just by like noon o’clock Eastern Time, I believe it was just on the day of the release, there was 700 shoes sold and making it number one on Champs Sports… Testament to just the team, the branding, the belief in me from Reebok, the belief in me from Allen Iverson, to even wanna post about it on his I.G. and the video and all that stuff. He said he was blown away about the whole thing (and) that’s a testament to the fanbase of All Elite Wrestling. Still continuing to purchase these shoes, to keep having to restock and… refresh the shoe and then you’re seeing the shoe go on Stockx for about $800 overseas. It felt like a moment in time. It’s like, wow. It really makes me and the people believe that I am the franchise of All Elite Wrestling, you know?”

Strickland’s shoes were spotlighted in matches and post-match angles over the last month. One took place at AEW Double or Nothing and the other at Summer Blockbuster.

If the quote in this article is used, please credit the Battleground Podcast with an H/T to Fightful for the transcription.