Swerve Strickland made history on Sunday night when he defeated Samoa Joe at Dynasty to become AEW’s first African-American World Champion. And subsequently, eagle-eyed fans have noted that not only did Strickland come out in Black Panther-inspired attire for his entrance, but the robe Prince Nana gave him was in tribute to Jimmy Rave, who passed away in 2021. Whether it was the exact same robe as the one worn by Rave has yet to be confirmed, although it looked identical.
Rave first made his name in Ring of Honor back in 2003 and would later align with Prince Nana becoming part of The Embassy. However, his career was derailed due to drug addiction, and then heartbreakingly, due to infection, he had to have his left arm and both legs amputated, which ended his career. Yet worse than that, less than two months later, he passed away, aged just 39, with no cause of death ever officially reported.
