Backstage News On Ethan Page And Matt Hardy's AEW Dark Feud

Given that they air on YouTube, away from the bright lights of TNT and TBS, which air "AEW Dynamite" and "AEW Rampage," it may sometimes be easy to forget that "AEW Dark" and "AEW Dark: Elevation" exist. But they not only exist, they have self-contained plotlines, such as the ongoing series of matches between Alex Reynolds and Kip Sabian, and a storyline that is currently getting a lot of positive notice within the company.

On Thursday afternoon, Fightful Select provided some additional info on the storyline between The Firm's Ethan Page and Matt Hardy that's gone on for the past month. It kicked off on "Rampage" back in October, when Page defeated Private Party's Isiah Kassidy, forcing Kassidy, Hardy, and Kassidy's partner Marq Quen to join The Firm. Since then, Page has made life miserable for the trio, fining Hardy and barring him from using the Twist of Fate, though Hardy and Private Party have continued to win.

Sources told Fightful that the feud is largely the brainchild of Hardy and Page themselves, as the two were reportedly excited about working together when it first came together. Acclaim for the storyline, in and out of the company, seemed to pick up however after a backstage segment between Hardy and Page, which also featured Private Party, aired on this week's "Dark." Fightful noted the segment was pulled off in just one take.

The storyline has been seen within AEW, according to Fightful, as a way to carry stories over to AEW's shoulder content from the TV shows. This perhaps explains why the storyline bled over into "Dynamite" Wednesday night, when Hardy interrupted a promo by Page and Firm leader, Stokely Hathaway, prior to a match between Ricky Starks and Ari Daivari.