Swerve Strickland is back, and he didn’t come alone. After a brief hiatus following knee surgery, the former AEW World Champion returned to the ring on AEW Dynamite this past week, marking a cultural crossover moment for both wrestling and Hip Hop. While fans were eager to see the “Realest” return to the squared circle, the buzz has been equally loud regarding his new entrance theme, “Hit Different,” which officially dropped on streaming platforms on December 10.

The track is a massive flex for Strickland‘s dual-career ambitions. “Hit Different” features longtime collaborator Monteasy and hip-hop royalty Raekwon of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan, a major co-sign that further elevates Strickland‘s status as a true crossover star.

Production Pedigree

This isn’t just a wrestling loop; it’s a professionally engineered anthem. The track was produced by Profit the Producer, a two-time Grammy winner recognized for his work on Kanye West’s Donda 2. According to the release, Profit the Producer provided a “cinematic track that feels dark at times yet also wants to make the listener move”.

The song opens with the signature “Whose house?” chant before Raekwon delivers a razor-sharp verse, followed by Strickland navigating themes of resilience and loyalty. Stream the song below, or at this link, and check out some exclusive comments from Swerve about the song.

Exclusive Interview with Swerve Strickland

The Stunner reached out to Swerve Strickland to get the full story behind retiring the iconic “Big Pressure,” how the collaboration with The Chef came to be, and what the future holds for his music career.

The Stunner: “Big Pressure” has become such an iconic song, what prompted the decision to create a new entrance theme?

Swerve Strickland: To me, that question is almost like asking “you’ve been very successful so why do you keep working?” I have never been someone to rest on my laurels. I keep dreaming bigger and I always want to top my last success. There are also other reasons for the change in the entrance theme. My character has developed greatly since first coming to AEW and I believe this song more accurately reflects my current character as compared to the old song.

“Big Pressure” was created before I even set foot in AEW and before I knew what the future would hold for my character. “Hit Different” was created after my character has been established and was made to reflect that character.

I understand that people get used to entrance music and will often reject any change, but I believe in continually evolving and keeping things fresh. The timing was also right. I’m coming back after knee surgery and it’s a new chapter in my career. The new song is a quality song. I wouldn’t give the fans a song that I didn’t think was much better. Plus, who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to make new entrance music with a hip hop legend like Raekwon!!

https://x.com/swerveconfident/status/1979639145242018030/

The Stunner: How did you manage to get Raekwon to feature on “Hit Different”?

Swerve Strickland: My attorney and I are working together on some big things that will be announced in the first quarter of the New Year. I can’t let the cat out of the bag quite yet. But basically we have assembled a killer team and the connection to Raekwon came out of that.

We met Raekwon at a Mobb Deep listening party in NYC. I spoke to him personally. My attorney got with his manager. All of us got together in the music studio. We brought my long time collaborators Monteasy and Profit the Producer to the table and now here we are.

The Stunner: Does Raekwon “know ball” when it comes to wrestling? Did he drop any references that surprised you?

Swerve Strickland: I would say Raekwon is more of an old school wrestling fan. Everything Raekwon writes surprises me because he is a genius at painting pictures with his words. Well, it does and it doesn’t because I’m a fan of his and I’ve come to expect that genius.

As far as wrestling references, we intentionally didn’t go heavy on them. Yes, I am using this as my entrance music but that doesn’t mean it’s a “wrestling song.” This is a quality stand-alone song that appeals to the hip hop community and anyone who appreciates good music. Dare I say, the song is a banger.

The Stunner: Do you foresee yourself regularly updating your entrance music or do you think this song will stick?

Swerve Strickland: As I mentioned before, I believe in constantly evolving. I want to constantly evolve my character as well as the entire package around my character. With that said, it’s not something I can plan ahead of time. I need to see where things go as far as the AEW landscape and how my character is positioned within that landscape.

I know when most wrestlers find an entrance theme that works, they stick with it and run with it for their entire careers. Because I am a recording artist in addition to a wrestler, I do find the need to constantly create and evolve but also think I have my finger on the pulse of my fans and want to give them what they want. So the answer is we will see!

https://x.com/AEW/status/1992463994804715633

The Stunner: Any plans for another full length?

Swerve Strickland: Of course. I am not just a wrestler who raps. When I made the decision to pursue a career in music, I approached it just like I did professional wrestling. I studied. I worked endlessly. I practiced. I put my heart and soul into it. I have songs and projects I’m working on. I am sitting on many unreleased songs, including some that will be a completely different sound than you’ve heard thus far. As I alluded to earlier, there are some things I’m working hard on and some big announcements coming in 2026. As they say, stay tuned.

The Stunner: How did it compare playing a hip hop festival like Rolling Loud to opening a rock concert for Fozzy?

Swerve Strickland: They were both an honor in different ways. It was an honor to be invited to perform at a festival that really IS hip hop culture. I am already a part of hip hop culture but Rolling Loud made me feel like it was hip hop culture’s stamp of approval of me as an artist.

Sharing the stage with Fozzy and Chris Jericho was also an honor in a different way. Fozzy has earned their spot in rock music. They have multiple top 10 rock Billboard hits and have been touring for over 25 years now. For them to recognize and appreciate my talent while I’m still in the early stages of my musical journey was very special just as it was sharing the stage with them. The Fozzy shows presented a different challenge. They have die hard rock fans who either don’t know who I am or who aren’t necessarily the biggest hip hop fans. When I hit that stage, I had to win over some fans and I think I did that.

With Rolling Loud they were already fans of the genre and I had to prove I belonged. As such, there were both similarities and differences as I just described.

“Hit Different” Lyrics

Who’s house (Swerve’s House)
Who’s house is it
Who’s house is it
Most dangerous
Most dangerous
Most dangerous
Most dangerous (Who’s House Is It)
Most dangerous (Who’s House Is It)
Most dangerous (Who’s House Is It)
Most dangerous (Who’s House Is It)

Let me get it from here son check
We monster truck kings that deliver the raw
Slide out all the jewels is flawless
Gold phone out in room is cordless
Choke you up like a piece of swordfish
Whatever you do yo respect the fortress
Seen chef on a horse in august
Watch the stampede
Fans that can’t leave
Then wonder why stay rich its corporate
Stocks and wetlands
Stocks and sweatpants
With a gun in the wildest pet land
Blow it down let it go its chef land
100 joints in the sand I net ran
The extra camo blaming in camden
Peace to my getting money in hammels
Yo eating lamb in the back of the lambos
Around start a war with my rambos

Who’s house is it
Most dangerous
Most dangerous
Most dangerous
Most dangerous (Who’s House Is It)
Most dangerous (Who’s House Is It)
Most dangerous (Who’s House Is It)
Most dangerous

Franchise boi
And don’t you act like you ain’t heard of me
Top name yeah they refer to me
Kick back swag post surgery
The game need me back currently
Urgently
Emergency
House Call hit that perfectly
Stone the win burglary
I done broke away from the fakes
Tried to close the gates
And all the ones who done chose to hate
Expose the snakes to the point I would blow or break
And now im the chosen great
Early to the money everybody done showed up late
Throwing bumps like a 808
Leave you slumped everyday yall pray
Beg for mercy everyday yall pray
But nevermind
I done held a belt many a time
U don’t form no opinion a mine
Menacing eye the criminal mind
Step inside
No energy enemy get between me and mine
Its well wishing
I sale fiction like a whale missing
Facing me is like a failed mission
Brought back the feeling like braille vision
And they failed to listen so we hit different

House calls like a doctor yeah it hit different
Cage calls from a monster year it hit different
Hit Different
Yeah it hit different
When we slide they take a dive cause it hit different

Who’s house is it
Most dangerous (Who’s House Is It)
Most dangerous (Who’s House Is It)
Most dangerous (Who’s House Is It)
Most dangerous (Who’s House Is It)
Most dangerous (Who’s House Is It)
Most dangerous (Who’s House Is It)
Who’s house is it

Find where to stream the track at this link.

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