Last night at AEW Dynamite Holiday Bash, we saw former AEW World Tag Team Champion Swerve Strickland form a new faction. After splitting from Keith Lee at Ring of Honor: Final Battle, he would recruit a few heavyweights to ensure Lee wouldn’t be an issue going forward. While fans would recognize former WWE NXT star Parker Boudreaux, the second member of Mogul Affiliates would be unknown to even the most hardcore wrestling fans.
Graden Goetzman Is The Mystery Man Linked To Swerve Strickland
After a bit of online digging, it would be revealed that this second member of Mogul Affiliates would be a man by the name of Granden Goetzman. Goetzman is a former minor league baseball player, who previously was viewed as a major league prospect. He would find himself drafted to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011, but simply was passed around farm systems.
Goetzman would make the change to professional wrestling, and would train under Jay Lethal – leading to his signing with AEW. Having been backstage for AEW events in October, this debut was a long time coming. Reports indicate that Goetzman has been signed to AEW for a while now, with his debut planned well in advance.
His size and facial tattoos instantly made him stand out, despite being someone with no wrestling exposure. The debut fell flat for some, being compared to Satnam Signh – who also made his debut in 2022 with a sports background, leaving fans confused to his identity. Signh has since proved he belongs on the AEW roster, and with Goetzman being linked to Swerve Strickland – he will find his time to shine in 2023.
Considering how many fans complain about AEW simply signing ‘WWE rejects’, the debuts of Goetzman and Action Andretti were breathes of fresh air – showing that AEW is looking at more talent than just those who have previous TV experience as part of the WWE roster. Goetzman could end up being a flop in 2023, but it’s never instantly clear who will prove to be a star in professional wrestling.
Are you excited to see what Mogul Affiliates have planned for 2023? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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