Swerve Strickland has been away from AEW TV since the March 25 episode of Dynamite. In his last appearance, he suffered a major loss to Kenny Omega, and people were looking forward to what was in store for the former AEW World Champion. While Strickland is yet to make his return, he recently expressed his frustrations with his booking in the Jacksonville-based promotion.
First, he deleted his X post where he was highlighting his absence from the company. Then, The Mogul posted a lengthy rant where he questioned Tony Khan and AEW management on why he is being kept away from wrestling in the ring. He expressed his frustration with being involved in the promotional stuff when he should be competing for the championship gold.
All of this has sparked speculation among the fans on why All Elite Wrestling might be putting the former AEW World Champion away from action. In this article, let’s take a look at four reasons why Tony Khan is not bringing back Swerve Strickland on AEW TV:
#4. Strickland has been dangerous in the ring
Swerve Strickland is considered one of the most dangerous men in AEW. He has been pretty lethal in the ring since his abrupt heel turn a few months ago. Over the course of 2026, The Mogul has attempted to end Kenny Omega‘s AEW career by dropping him on the announce table with the intention to break his back. All that was not enough as Strickland then went on to choke Brody King with a chain.
He has proven to be wicked in the company for his opponent, which raises concerns for Tony Khan about his roster. Therefore, the Jacksonville-based promotion might have put Swerve out of action for the time being to safeguard the roster from his unsafe wrestling style. By putting him away, Khan could be buying himself some time to deal with this problem.
#3. Tony Khan is protecting Bandido
Swerve Strickland has made it clear that he wants Bandido in All Elite Wrestling. The former AEW World Champion has issued some stern warnings for the ROH, saying that he is looking for him down the line. The two stars are on a collision course, which could be dangerous for Bandido. The luchador is one of the best in-ring talents in All Elite Wrestling at the moment.
His presence has been beneficial for the Jacksonville-based promotion, and there is a chance that Tony Khan could be trying to protect him from Swerve. The Mogul is wicked and ruthless in the ring, which is completely in contrast to how Bandido performs. Therefore, Swerve would have a natural advantage over the luchador. As a result, Khan and his team could have avoided the two stars’ clash by keeping Strickland away from the shows.
#2. AEW has no creative plans for Swerve Strickland
There are a lot of ongoing storylines in All Elite Wrestling. The company is set to host Double or Nothing later this month, and Tony Khan is high on delivering an incredible pay-per-view for the fans. In the mix of all that, there is a big chance that the creative plans for Swerve Strickland might have gotten lost in the shuffle. Khan and his team have a lot on their plate right now.
Therefore, the company might have put him out of action for a while just to develop some creative plans for him. As a result, Tony Khan has sent him on promotional work for AEW to keep him busy for the time being. Additionally, Bandido is also busy with his ROH World Title reign as of late. Hence, putting him against Strickland all of a sudden could create an awkward situation with the creative.
Moreover, there is a good chance that the company is trying to put him away until Double or Nothing, and will bring him back in the mix for the next pay-per-view to kick off a whole new chapter.
#1. The company is setting him up for something bigger
Swerve Strickland is one of the biggest superstars in All Elite Wrestling. He has been a former AEW World Champion and a main event player for the company. With All In being one of the next pay-per-views for the Jacksonville-based promotion, Tony Khan might be planning to put him in a major spot on the London spectacle in August this year.
As a result, the company could be trying to set him up for something big as his next chapter in AEW. There were reports that the ongoing tensions between Strickland and AEW are all part of a storyline. Hence, these social media promos and deleted tweets could lead to a main event-level storyline for Strickland in AEW moving forward.
Such an angle has sparked significant interest in the situation with Swerve Strickland, something that AEW can capitalize on in the near future.
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Edited by Anugrah Tyagi
