AEW: Will Ospreay Steals Swerve Strickland's Finisher to Retain International Championship

Will Ospreay defeated Rey Fenix on Wednesday, infuriating Swerve Strickland in the process.

By Charlie Ridgely

Things are really heating up on the road to AEW Forbidden Door. All Elite Wrestling's next pay-per-view event, set to take place on June 30th, is being headlined by a massive bout between AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland and AEW International Champion Will Ospreay. Both men are on incredible runs in AEW and it doesn't feel like either could be more popular, creating one of the company's most anticipated PPV main events in some time.

Swerve's World Championship is on the line in the match, and Ospreay clearly isn't content with just the International title. He's coming for AEW's top prize, letting Swerve know on Wednesday night just how ready he is to take the crown. On the new episode of Dynamite, Ospreay defeated Rey Fenix to retain his International Championship, but it was an exchange with Swerve near the end of the match that truly stole the show.

When Swerve appeared at ringside to watch the end of the match, Ospreay called him out. He yelled "My House" at Swerve from the top rope, playing on Strickland's "Swerve's House" catchphrase. As if that wasn't enough, Ospreay took the opportunity to deliver a Swreve Stomp onto Fenix, pulling off Strickland's signature move right in front of him.

Strickland obviously took issue with the move and he met Ospreay face-to-face in the center of the ring after the match. The two had a heated, but civil exchange, in which Strickland told Ospreay that he wasn't ready to handle the AEW World Championship yet. 

The biggest set of fireworks went off as Swerve walked away. Ospreay took the belt right out of the champ's hands and threw it over his shoulder, opposite his AEW International Championship. Both Ospreay and the fans got a taste of what could be after Forbidden Door in a couple of weeks and Swerve was infuriated. He didn't take Ospreay out, though, confirming some level of respect between the two competitors. 

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Swerve ended things by getting in Ospreay's face and telling him that this moment is how he should know the two of them are still friends. He told his opponent that, if anyone else had done what he'd just done, they'd be put into the ground.

With a little over two weeks left until Forbidden Door 2024, an already hot main event is getting even hotter.

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