Subhojeet Mukherjee on April 28, 2026
Swerve Strickland has been off AEW television since late March, and while his absence was initially linked to outside projects, a new report shows there’s more going on behind the scenes.
After his loss to Kenny Omega on Dynamite, Strickland quietly disappeared from programming, with reports later confirming he was working on promotional material for Warner Bros. Discovery. But now, there’s a clearer picture of why his return hasn’t happened yet.
During a Self Made session on April 28, 2026, Self Made Pro was asked directly about the possibility of Swerve vs. Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing, a match many expected to be the next step in that story. That’s when he revealed that those plans are no longer locked in.
“What I would say is, at one point they were looking at doing that, but Swerve’s creative is slightly up in the air because they’re trying to figure out how they want to use him from now into All In Wembley. So while that’s a bit up in the air and they’re kind of figuring out how that’s going to go. His plans with Kenny Omega are also up in the air.”
He also provided insight into Swerve’s expected return timeline, explaining that he was actually supposed to be back already, but that timing shifted due to a combination of factors.
“I know at one point he was supposed to come back like a week ago, but I know that right now he’s also doing some WBD stuff, so he’ll be back very, very soon—he’ll be back imminently.”
On top of that, Self Made Pro pointed to a major creative element that had to be scrapped, which further complicated Swerve’s direction. He explained that AEW originally planned to introduce a stable around Strickland, but injuries to key members forced those plans to change.
“The other thing that’s affected Swerve’s plans, to be completely frank—and I’ll say it openly—is he was supposed to have a stable, and certain members, certain people that were supposed to be in a stable can’t be now because of injuries. So that type of stuff also affects creative plans.”
Swerve isn’t sidelined, and he isn’t gone; he’s just in a holding pattern while AEW figures out what his next move should be. AEW had a direction, that direction changed, and now one of their top stars is waiting for the reset before stepping back into the limelight.
Do you think AEW should go back to Swerve vs. Kenny Omega, or take things in a completely new direction? Let us know your thoughts and feedback.
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