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26) – Kenny Omega vs. Swerve Strickland

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By James Staynings | Last updated Feb 13, 2026 5:30 AM ET

When AEW Dynamite returns to US soil after its Valentine’s Day excursion, it will have a PPV-quality first-time matchup between Kenny Omega and Swerve Strickland. The crowd at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, California, is going to be spoiled. We, the AEW viewing audience, are going to be spoiled in what already feels like the start of a new Era and peak for the alternative promotion.

It’s possible, just like previous historic first-time matches on AEW Dynamite, this isn’t just a one-off contest. It’s the fuse-setter for a longer, larger story. More on this shortly.

Let’s speculate on Omega vs. Strickland and perhaps what else we’re going to see in Sacramento. There’s plenty of fallout from this week’s Dynamite. More will follow this weekend’s AEW Grand Slam Australia, so check back for the latest updates.

Kenny Omega vs. Swerve Strickland

Swerve Strickland, in elevating himself to one of AEW’s company faces, fought and defeated three-quarters of The Elite. The only one who alluded to Swerve in the ring, due to injuries and timing, was Kenny Omega. As Swerve stated on the last episode of Dynamite, he’s heard and seen the legend and myth.

Yet with a touch of arrogance and a chip on his shoulder, reminiscent of the start of Swerve’s feud with Hangman Adam Page, Strickland seems focused on collecting another head. Strickland is focused on vanishing a god. Although Strickland has questioned and accused Omega of abusing his EVP status, it seems like a convenient pretext. Omega has seen the disrespect and the whispering, plotting with an Embassy-branded towel-wielding Prince Nana. Something big is in the works. Is Strickland about to go heel or return to a dark place?

After cutting words with some deep-penetrating barbs and an explosive fight, expect magic in the ring. With so much animosity, one match can’t contain these issues. Like MJF vs. Adam Cole or MJF vs. Will Ospreay, these are the dramatic opening pages of something bigger.

Whether it ends in a draw, an unclean finish, or even the brawl last week, a disqualification, or count out, this can’t be a one-and-done.

New Championship Directions

With two huge title changes on last week’s Dynamite, we’re likely going to find out what’s next for the AEW Women’s World Championship and the AEW TNT Championship. At Grand Slam, either Kyle Fletcher retains or Mark Briscoe reaches for the sky in match seven of their series to reclaim the TNT Championship. Will the former, short-lived champion and Psycho Killer, Tommaso Ciampa, return to the hunt? Will Ciampa get his rematch?

How will the outcome impact the wider dynamics of The Don Callis Family? AEW International Champion, Kazuchika Okada, has been trying to stir division between Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita. Reclaiming or losing the TNT Championship influence/blind the Protostar. Speaking of Takeshita, if he is able to win the AEW Continental Championship from Jon Moxley, how will this impact the in-fighting with Okada?

The sands have also shifted in the women’s division. Thekla overcame Kris Statlander last week in a strap match to become the AEW Women’s World champion. Depending on the results at Grand Slam for the AEW Women’s Tag Team Championship, we could have a clear divide in alliances between faces and heels. Surely, Big Stat Daddy isn’t just going to accept her lashes?

We haven’t even discussed that the Young Bucks are the number one contenders for the AEW World Tag Team Championships! Nor the road to AEW Revolution, beginning with a new number one contender and possibly the men’s world champion.