Daniel Garcia has put Swerve Strickland on notice ahead of their upcoming clash, and he did not hold back in doing so.
In an AEW Digital Exclusive interview, the Death Riders’ Garcia drew on a shared history with Strickland to frame why their collision matters. He pointed to the first Dynamite of 2024, when the two faced off in what was billed as a showcase for two rising talents who could help carry the company forward. Garcia’s view? Only one of them lived up to that billing — and it wasn’t him. “You won that match and you won a lot of matches,” Garcia said. “You won the World Title and you main evented Wembley Stadium. Now I just see you and you’re a different guy. You’re drunk off power, you’re high and mighty, and you’ve become a disgusting, despicable human being. But you’re not alone in that, because I’m all the same.”
Garcia then put Strickland on notice about what stands between him and a path back to Wembley: “If you think this is just gonna be a pebble on your road to Wembley Stadium, you’re wrong. I’m a shard of glass on the road, and you’re gonna Swerve right off the road to Wembley.” Marina Shafir punctuated the segment with typically blunt brevity.
The backstory makes the stakes clear. Strickland punched his ticket to the Men’s Owen Hart Cup Final at Forbidden Door 2026 on the June 10 episode of Dynamite, setting up a rematch with Will Ospreay — a man the Death Riders are firmly behind. Two years ago at Forbidden Door 2024, it was Strickland who beat Ospreay, but the dynamic has shifted considerably. Ospreay has the Death Riders in his corner, and the Owen Hart Cup winner earns a world title shot at All In London, which takes place in Ospreay’s home market. Tensions between Strickland and the faction boiled over on the most recent Dynamite, when the Death Riders intervened as Strickland advanced on Ospreay with a steel chain.
Garcia and Strickland will now collide on the June 24 episode of AEW Dynamite, a match that will serve as a significant moment for both men as Forbidden Door approaches. Meanwhile, Garcia’s mentor Jon Moxley is also scheduled for the pay-per-view, defending the AEW Continental Championship against ROH World Champion Bandido.
Source: WrestleTalk
