Summary

Bandido says a future AEW match with Swerve Strickland would mean more to him than just sharing the ring with another top name. After Strickland appeared in a recent vignette that seemed to shift his focus toward Bandido, the ROH World Champion said he sees the matchup as both a challenge and a chance to prove he can thrive outside the style many fans already associate with him.

Bandido framed the potential meeting as a personal target, saying he wants to show he can match Strickland in a different kind of fight. That makes the idea of this program feel like more than a one-off tease, especially with AEW continuing to position major singles matches around distinct personalities and styles, something that has also come up in recent roster discussion such as Will Ospreay wanting AEW to send more wrestlers to NJPW.

Quote from Bandido

"He came to my world. He came to the Wild West world. So now it’s going to be hard for him. I know he’s the hardest guy and all the things that he said, but I am the most wanted, and I’m going to tell him and I’m going to show him why I am the most wanted."

Bandido later went on to say:

"In that kind of match, I think I became a different person. I just changed my wrestling powers, and I just want to do it because I think it’s a new goal for me. Show the people that I am more than just a simple luchador. I can do matches like (in) Swerve’s style and other styles, you know. It’s a big goal and a big achievement if I have that match with him."

What A Swerve Strickland Match Would Mean For Bandido

For Bandido, a match with Swerve Strickland would immediately push him further into AEW's upper-end singles picture. His comments make it clear he sees this less as a stylistic showcase and more as a statement match against one of the promotion's most established names.

If AEW follows through on the tease, the bout would also give Bandido a direct chance to reshape how fans view him. He openly said he wants to prove he is more than a "simple luchador," and a strong performance against Strickland would support that in a way a standard promo never could.

Sources

Bandido while speaking with The Sportster