Swerve Strickland attacks Bandido at ROH Supercard of Honor

Swerve Strickland stepped inside of a wrestling ring for the first time in months on Friday night. And that’s good news for wrestling fans, but bad news for Bandido. 

After defeating Blake Christian to retain the ROH World Championship at Supercard of Honor, Bandido was celebrating on his knees when Strickland attacked from behind, laying him out with a house call. After a second house call, Strickland set up a chair in the ring and hit a vertebreaker onto it.

Swerve’s last in-ring appearance was a loss to Kenny Omega on AEW Dynamite in March, a match that Omega won to earn a World Championship match against MJF at Dynasty. 

In recent weeks, a series of vignettes had aired on AEW television with Strickland running wild in Bandido’s Old West world. On Wednesday, it was announced the two would be facing off at AEW Double or Nothing in the first round of the tournament for the Men’s Owen Hart Cup.

Strickland and Bandido have only been in the same match once in AEW: in 2023, they were both in the 21-Man Blackjack Battle Royal for the International Championship at Double or Nothing, a match eventually won by Orange Cassidy. 

They have been on opposing teams a handful of times in other promotions, but have only one singles match between them: In 2018, Strickland defeated Bandido at an Over The Top Wrestling event in Dublin, Ireland.