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While plenty was going on in AEW during the back half of 2023, the highlight for many fans was the personal, and violent, rivalry between "Hangman" Adam Page and Swerve Strickland. The feud between the two saw Swerve Strickland constantly get one over on Adam Page, including breaking into his house and beating him twice in singles action, most notably in a brutal Texas Death match at AEW Full Gear. And as the final moments of "AEW Dynamite" last week proved, the issues between the two are far from resolved.
During an appearance on "Wrestling With Freddie," Swerve Strickland stated his starting point for the feud was figuring out the motives for both him and Adam Page, starting with the first promo. From there, he believes it allowed fans to connect with both Adam Page and himself on a level different from a garden variety wrestling storyline,
"That was the beauty of starting this whole thing off with the promos between me and 'Hangman' Page," Strickland said. "I dressed him down and showcased all his weaknesses. I put them all out there on display...people have seen him already for four years in AEW, but now these people are like 'Wow, I feel like I know him now.' I addressed the person, and then I kind of went through 'You know what? I see all this. And nobody's saying it, I'm going to say it to your face. I'm not going to do it from the stage to you in the ring, I'm not going to do it over a promo that's up here, and you're down here...I'm going to address you to your face because Swerve isn't a coward. Swerve is going to come to you and say it.' That's what kind of makes me a dangerous threat."
Swerve Strickland Talks About Hangman Adam Page Changing His Character During Rivalry
Swerve Strickland was also quick to note that both he and Adam Page exited the first chapter of their rivalry differently than how they entered, and in some ways were almost mirror images of each other by the end. This was something that Swerve Strickland, Adam Page, and AEW made sure to make apparent not just in the actions of the performers, but in the little things, like how Adam Page's appearance changed throughout the program.
"We were so polar opposite from the first promo we did," Strickland said. "He's wearing a blue cowboy shirt with stars and he had his hair in a ponytail/man bun, stuff like that. By the time we got to the second promo where he dresses me down, he looks like me now. We're more similar than ever. I'm wearing black leather and black pants, he's wearing black leather and black pants, hair's out. I was like 'I pulled that out of you, so I won as the bad person anyway, whether I win or lose. I got the 'Hangman' I was asking for. I got 'Cowboy s**t' back."
Thank you to "Wrestling With Freddie" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
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