Swerve Strickland appears to be closing in on his AEW return, and a new vignette has already pointed to his next opponent.

During the April 29 episode of AEW Dynamite, a segment aired showing a man walking through a Western-style town before discovering a wanted poster for Bandido. The scene built slowly until the camera revealed Strickland alongside Prince Nana. Nana handed him a gun-shaped lighter, which Strickland used to set the poster on fire, signaling a clear target.

Strickland has been absent from AEW programming since March 25, when he lost to Kenny Omega in a match that carried both a world title opportunity and executive vice president implications. At one stage, reports suggested his time away was tied to filming commitments with WBD, though that claim was denied by a member of his team.

Meanwhile, Bandido’s presence on AEW television has been limited in recent months. Since his loss to then-world champion MJF in January, he has wrestled only a handful of times. His most recent appearance came in the vacant TNT Championship Casino Gauntlet match at Dynasty. In recent weeks, similar Western-themed vignettes featuring Bandido have aired, linking the two narratives together.

Although Strickland and Bandido have shared the ring in both singles and tag team matches in the past, they have not faced each other one-on-one in AEW. Their last singles encounter took place in 2019 in OTT, long before their current positions in the industry.

With the direction now established on television, a match between Strickland and Bandido appears to be building. AEW Double or Nothing next month could serve as the likely stage, although no official announcement has been made.

Swerve Strickland Targets Bandido Ahead Of AEW Return

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