Swerve Strickland is back, and he has already made clear who he is coming for.
A vignette aired on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite showing a man walking through a Western town before finding a Bandido wanted poster on the ground. The camera panned up to reveal Strickland alongside Prince Nana, who handed him a lighter shaped like a gun. Strickland used it to set the poster on fire.
Strickland has been out of action since losing to Kenny Omega in a match where his World title shot was put against Omega’s EVP role on the March 25 Dynamite. Reports had suggested his absence was tied to filming material for WBD, though a member of his team denied that explanation.
Bandido, the current ROH World Champion, has not been particularly active in the ring since losing to then-AEW World Champion MJF in January, competing just three times in the months since, with his last appearance coming in the vacant TNT title Casino Gauntlet match at Dynasty. Vignettes featuring Bandido in the same Western town setting have been airing on AEW programming in recent weeks, building toward an apparent collision.
The two have history in both singles and tag team matches, but have never faced each other in AEW. Their most recent one-on-one meeting was in 2019, during OTT, a very different period for both men.
Double or Nothing next month is being eyed as a potential landing spot for the matchup.