AEW Dynamite in Sacramento, California, USA, Live on TBS | February 18th, 2026 — The Episode Recap:

Swerve Strickland hits a Vertebreaker through the table as Kenny Omega gets injured in the process. Swerve Strickland is officially back as a villainous character in AEW. (Image Courtesy of AEW)

The February 18th Episode of AEW Dynamite — The Match Results:

The Opening Match: Jon Moxley [c] defeated Mark Davis in an AEW Continental Title Eliminator Match | via Submission — (13:58)

The 2nd Match: Willow Nightingale (c) defeated Marnia Shafir, Megan Bayne, and Mina Shirakawa in an AEW TBS Title Four-Way Match | via Pin-Fall — (11:15)

The 3rd Match: The Conglomeration (Orange Cassidy & Tomohiro Ishii) defeated BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Clark Connors & Gabe Kidd) in a Tag Team Match | via Pin-Fall — (09:41)

The 4th Match: The Brawling Birds (Alex Windsor & Jamie Hayter) defeated B3CCA & Viva Van in a Tag Team Match | via Pin-Fall — (03:54)

The 5th Match: Kevin Knight defeated The Beast Motros in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (08:39)

The Main Event Match: Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana) defeated Kenny Omega in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (20:11)

My Thoughts on the February 18th Episode of AEW Dynamite:

My Thoughts: Amazing episode. This was a high-quality show with strong in-ring work, well-paced matches, and solid storyline segments that all felt purposeful. I’ve been really enjoying AEW this year; the product feels focused, energetic, and consistently entertaining. If they can maintain this level of quality, the build to AEW Revolution should be compelling, with even more anticipation around the key feuds and title programs. I can’t wait to see how the storylines develop week by week heading into the pay-per-view.

The February 18th Episode of AEW Dynamite — The Match Ratings:

The Opening Match: Jon Moxley [c] vs. Mark Davis in an AEW Continental Title Eliminator Match | The Match Rating: **** — Mark Davis, what a performance by him. I felt bad for Mark Davis, as unfortunately, he lost Jake Doyle to injury, leaving him to be a singles star again, but this was a lot of fun. He and Jon Moxley had a very fun Eliminator Match. Jon Moxley had another incredible performance as he pulled away with the win in this awesome match, making Mark Davis tap out in the process.

The 2nd Match: Willow Nightingale (c) vs. Marnia Shafir vs. Megan Bayne vs. Mina Shirakawa in an AEW TBS Title Four-Way Match | The Match Rating: ***.25 — This was a fun little Four-Way Match. I do feel like this match happening will lead to something between Megan Bayne and Willow Nightingale in the future, as I feel like it’s time for Megan Bayne to be chasing some gold. This was decent, but please give more storyline direction for the AEW TBS Title.

The 3rd Match: The Conglomeration (Orange Cassidy & Tomohiro Ishii) vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Clark Connors & Gabe Kidd) in a Tag Team Match | The Match Rating: **.75 — Tomohiro Ishii came to Orange Cassidy’s aid for this match as Roderick Strong was nowhere to be seen ever since he left Orange Cassidy high and dry last week on Dynimate. They took on the BULLET CLUB War Dogs, but hilariously, Darby Allin kidnapped Gabe Kidd, which prompted Clark Connors to be by himself in the remaining of the match as The Conglomeration got the win over the BULLET CLUB War Dogs.

The 4th Match: The Brawling Birds (Alex Windsor & Jamie Hayter) vs. B3CCA & Viva Van in a Tag Team Match | The Match Rating: N/A — The Brawling Birds are a team I can heavily get behind. They made their team debut on Dynamite, in which they defeated B3CCA and Viva Van. I think The Brawling Birds, sooner than later, will be AEW Women’s World Champions. But this was a fun little match.

The 5th Match: Kevin Knight vs. The Beast Motros in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: ***.50 — AEW World Trio Champion Kevin Knight had another fun performance as he took on the underrated Beast Mortos in a pretty fun singles match. Kevin Knight hasn’t had much direction as of late. I know The Demend are coming for the AEW World Trios Titles, but this was a pretty fun match. The Beast Mortos, I’ve been on the record saying he deserves more opportunities. This match shows he can be a fun part of every weekly show AEW produces. But Kevin Knight comes away with the win and now focuses on this Saturday as he defends his AEW World Trios Titles with Adam Page and Mike Speedball as they take on The Demend.

The Main Event Match: Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana) vs. Kenny Omega in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: ****.75 — This was an awesome match. I couldn’t believe my eyes seeing Swerve Strickland has reverted to the dark side, but here we are. He was the MVP of this match. He got super desperate that he was doing anything to keep Kenny Omega down and out to manage to win as he delievered hitting a Big Business to get the win, but afterwards was the talk of the town as he turned heel, as he gave Kenny Omega a brutal beating after the match.

The February 18th Episode of AEW Dynamite — The Match of the Night: Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana) vs. Kenny Omega in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: ****.75 — This match was awesome. I couldn’t believe it when Swerve Strickland reverted to the dark side, but he ended up being the MVP. Desperate to keep Kenny Omega down, he did whatever it took and ultimately hit Big Business for the win. Afterward, he stole the spotlight by turning heel and delivering a brutal post-match beating to Omega.

The February 18th Edition of AEW Dynamite — The Episode Grade: 8.50/10 (A-) — Amazing Episode, this was a quality episode with good in-ring stuff, and solid segments. I’ve been enjoying AEW this year, can’t wait to see how the build to AEW Revolution goes.