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Swerve Strickland’s AEW Return Date Officially Announced

By Sridhar Krishnan • Published May 17, 2026 11:57 EDT
swerve strickland aew
Swerve Strickland attacked Bandido at ROH Supercard of Honor on Friday, May 15. (Image via Twitter / @AEW)

Swerve Strickland is set to return to AEW after nearly two months away.

Strickland last competed on the March 25 taping of Dynamite against Kenny Omega, where the latter’s position as EVP was on the line. Also, if Strickland lost, Omega would become the new #1 Contender to then-World Champion MJF’s title.

After a 20-minute battle, Omega won by hitting his One Winged Angel finisher. Omega went on to challenge MJF for the gold at AEW Dynasty, which he lost.

Swerve Strickland, on the other hand, will have to carve a new path to reach the top again. In the new vignettes run by the company, Strickland has reiterated his desire for power, and he has chosen Bandido as his first step towards it.

Bandido, who is the reigning Ring of Honor World Champion, felt the wrath of the Most Dangerous Man in AEW during ROH Supercard of Honor on May 15.

Following his victory over Blake Christian at the event, the 31-year-old fell victim to Swerve, who blindsided him before hitting him with a Cop Killa on a steel chair.

Swerve Strickland’s return has been announced for the upcoming Dynamite/Collision taping on May 20. He will face Bandido in the opening round of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament at Double or Nothing on May 24.

Multiple Matches Announced For AEW Dynamite/Collision Taping

In addition to Swerve Strickland making an appearance, several matches have been officially announced for the May 20 episode of Dynamite/Collision, which will be a 3-hour affair.

Here’s the line-up:

  • AEW Continental Championship Eliminator Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly
  • No DQ Match: Mark Briscoe vs. Tommaso Ciampa
  • AEW World Championship Match: Darby Allin vs. ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey
  • 5-minute Women’s Tag Team Championship Eliminator Match: Divine Dominion (Megan Bayne & Lena Kross) vs. TBD
  • Will Ospreay vs. Katsuyori Shibata
  • Orange Cassidy & Roderick Strong vs. FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler)
  • Athena and Triangle of Madness (Thekla, Skye Blue & Julia Hart) vs. Thunder Rosa, Mina Shirakawa, and The Brawling Birds (Jamie Hayter & Alex Windsor)

Swerve Strickland Accuses Tony Khan Of Keeping Him Off TV

Since turning heel, Swerve Strickland has been unhinged and unpredictable.

Even before attacking Bandido at the Ring of Honor event, the 35-year-old launched a verbal tirade, where he accused AEW management and President Tony Khan of keeping him away from live TV.

In a video shared on X, he leveled accusations at the higher-ups, claiming that he had been shooting promos off-site, referring to the vignettes, but he was not allowed at live venues.

What’s going on, everybody. This is Swerve Strickland here, former AEW World Champion. And I’m just going to get some things off my chest and address what I said on Twitter earlier this week about asking questions about me being on television. So actually, you know what? As you can see, everybody, I’m not at AEW right now. I’m not at AEW Dynamite tonight in Asheville, North Carolina; I’m here at home because of AEW management. They want to keep me away from TV.

I’ve been shooting the last couple promos that you see off-site. I haven’t been at AEW TV. AEW management is responsible for that. Shout out Tony Khan, thank you for having me doing some Ambassador work for WBD. Thank you for sending me to the NFL Draft to do the Jacksonville Jaguars fourth-round pick with Roger Goodell and everybody. I appreciate that. But you’re keeping me away from doing my freaking job, and that’s getting in the ring and hurting people.