AEW RISING AND FADING STARS: Swerve Strickland and the breadcrumbs of hints along the way to his heel turn, Dynamite delivering the main events this year, Hurt Syndicate

Welcome everyone!!

Why do you watch wrestling? Maybe it’s something you grew up watching with your family that started your love of the sport. Maybe you found it as a teenager/young adult because it was the “cool” thing at the time. Maybe you hate-watch. I’m not saying those are the only categories, but just a few.

Myself, I love a story. Tell me something with twists and turns, not swerves. Give me someone to root for or against. One of the earliest stories I remember really being invested in was the Mega Powers and then Mega Powers exploding. It’s when I realized how much cooler Macho Man was than my little brother’s favorite, Hulk Hogan.

Where the hell am I going with this? “Hangman” Adam Page. The fact that he is putting up his ability to challenge for a World Title every again to get a shot at the World Title is intriguing. As we AEW fans know, this story was started but never completed by one Cody Rhodes.

Also waiting for babyface Hangman is a newly turned heel Swerve Strickland. So are we about to have the biggest feud in AEW history, round two? Swerve and Hangman have told each other repeatedly that neither will let the other win the AEW World title.

Just some food for thought on an overly wordy AEW Rising and Fading Stars list this week.

So let’s get to it!

RISING STAR OF THE WEEK

SWERVE STRICKLAND

This week’s main event on Dynamite was amazing. No titles, just two of the most over wrestlers in the company going at it with a very satisfying ending for a Swerve fan.

Let’s go back a few months. Back to Swerve’s return, with a new song, from injury at the end of AEW’s November PPV Full Gear where he confronted the AEW World Champion Samoa Joe. Not because Joe was a heel or face, but because Joe was the World Champion, something Swerve covets.

Now over the next month or so, Swerve tries to play nice. He teams with “Hangman” Adam Page to go at the Opps. He tries to save Kenny Omega from being hit with a screwdriver. He tries to get a shot at the AEW World Title honorably before losing to Andrade. So everyone thinks Babyface Swerve is back and here to stay.

Were you paying close enough attention? Did you notice Prince Nana starting to carry around the Embassy towel again? How about Swerve’s reaction to basic questions from backstage interviews? His refusal to answer basics questions and just giving a wave of the hand to the interview before Nana answered was subtle. Most of all, did you listen to the lyrics in Swerve’s new song? I was noticing all of these things, including those lyrics.

Before I get to the songs lyrics, shout out to Swerve as a rapper getting to team up with a founding member of the iconic Wu Tang Clan in Raekwon. Amazing.

I will also say his lyrics could sound like a very confident babyface. That said, they also can be interpreted as heel-ish in the wrestling world. His prior song was a song that he just rapped the hook and did not have any verses. More a wrestler getting a hype song than featuring Swerve. Unlike his new song.

In Swerve’s new song, he refers to himself as the “Most Dangerous” over and over again. Then the first thing Swerve says in the song is, “Franchise boy, and don’t you act like you ain’t heard of me.” If that isn’t a cocky heel start, I don’t know what is and I’ve been listening to hip hop/rap since the ’80s. Yes, I’m that old. He continues: “Top name, yea they refer to me.” Again, this isn’t a face thanking people for referring to him as a “top name.” There are plenty more from his verse you could call heelish. Just check it out at some point.

So for me, this heel turn was signaled and then delivered in a great way. How do you get the fans to boo someone as cool as Swerve? You turn him on the guy who is as close to a “white meat babyface” as AEW has, outside Darby Allin, in Kenny Omega. I also love the part in the middle of the match – and the announcers talked about it – where Swerve pulled the ref in front of him. Much like his work leading to this, you questioned “Was that on purpose?” Just a top notch heel turn.

Going forward, I’m not sure where Swerve goes. A heel MJF and heel Swerve being more on the same page than going at it would be nice. One feud this will probably reignite will be the Swerve vs. Hangman feud, and this time they will be cast much better. I think Swerve can get the crowd to boo him more than Hangman can. Regardless I’m excited to see where swerve goes from here.

1st Runner Up – DYNAMITE MAIN EVENTS

After hyping up Collision last week, I felt like I needed to hype of Dynamite this week.

Have you been paying attention to the Dynamite Main Events since the Continental Classic ended? AEW has really stepped up those matches we have gotten each week. This past week being one of the best non-title TV main events, maybe, in Dynamite history. Let’s look back, though, at what we have been treated to since the New Year’s Eve Dynamite.

• 12/31/2025 TBS Title Match – Mercedes Mone (c) loses the TBS Title to Willow Nightingale
• 1/7/2026 Lights Out Match – Hangman & Swerve defeated Hook & Powerhouse Hobbs
• 1/14/26 AEW World Title match – MJF (c) defeated Bandido to retain the title.
• 1/21/26 Swerve defeated Kevin Knight
• 1/28/26 Andrade defeated Swerve Strickland
• 2/4/26 AEW World Title Eliminator match – Brody King defeated MJF
• 2/11/26 AEW Women’s World Title Strap match – Thekla defeated Kris Statlander (c) to win the AEW Women’s World Title
• 2/18/26 Swerve Strickland defeated Kenny Onega

So that’s three World Title matches on television the first seven weeks of 2026. Outside of the World Title matches, you have a top guy or two in every main event match. Dynamite has been amazing and Collision has been so much better. It feels like AEW is in a good place right now and I love it.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Dynamite: CLICK HERE (or search “wade Keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)

FADING STAR OF THE WEEK

THE HURT SYNDICATE

First, let me say I am not pushing for this return. I think they, as a whole, have been a disruptive force while AEW tried to correct course after 2023-2024 not going all that well for them. No one from the group has elevated anyone. Specifically one member – cough, MVP, cough – has repeatedly buried talent on air. So this is not me asking to bring them back; no, I’m just bringing to your attention that they are gone.

Bobby Lashley has been injured since November. Shelton Benjamin was last seen losing to Jon Moxley in January, meaning we also haven’t seen MVP since January, most likely meaning they are building up to a return sooner than later.

Lashley was recently on a podcast called “The Mega Powers podcast” (which is not on the PWTorch so I’ve never heard of it; I’m kidding, don’t come for me Mega Powers podcast fans!) Lashley did say all the right things on that podcast. He said “AEW is amazing.” He also went on to defend all the injuries in AEW. “You don’t get injured doing something you don’t want to do,” he said. “You get injured doing something you pour your whole f—ing life into.” Lashley went on to praise guys like Swerve, Jon Moxley, Darby, and Will Ospreay.

So my hope is when these guys come back, they understand the mission more. It’s not just about the Hurt Syndicate. I grew up fishing a lot so I will use this saying: “A rising tide lifts all boats.” This is what AEW needs from the Hurt Syndicate. It’s not that they can’t win matches, but it’s how they are portrayed in those matches.

The Hurt Syndicate as a team or the two main members putting over younger stars is what should be happening. Or, at minimum, true feuds with younger guys.