Swerve Strickland Discusses AEW Match That Made Him Want To 'Push The Envelope'

As Swerve Strickland sits atop the throne of AEW as World Champion, it's easy to trace his ascension in the promotion back to his late 2023 feud with "Hangman" Adam Page. Facing off twice at AEW WrestleDream and AEW Full Gear in October and November, Strickland emerged victorious in both matches, with many believing their second encounter, a violent and controversial Texas Death match, springboarded him to World Title status.

Strickland relived the match again last week when he sat down with Z100 New York's "Superstar Crossover." The AEW World Champion credited the willingness of him and Page to just go crazy and do whatever was necessary to make the match a classic.

"We went out there and [were] just like 'Whatever's under that ring is fair game,'" Swerve said. "I think that's another thing with Hangman...Hangman's been known to push the boundaries. I'm someone that wants to push it just as much as he does. That's where that really made it something crazy. We just kept wanting to push the envelope more and more and more. And it's weird; I have a history of doing that in Los Angeles, cause Lucha Underground was in Boyle Heights, with me and [AR] Fox, another one who just wanted to push it and push it and push it more. 

"I kind of have this hybrid style like 'Wait, there's great athleticism in this too.' It's not just plunder...everything makes sense...without all this stuff, this is a great match too. These are great performers, these are great athletes. But then, you add in elements. These are still great performers, these are great athletes, they are just brutal."

The violence and ability of both Page and Strickland wasn't the only reason the AEW World Champion believed the match succeeded, however. Strickland also cited the storyline leading up to the match, which saw him break into Page's house and stand over his child's crib, prompting a rage in the "Hangman" that he hadn't shown previously in AEW. For Strickland, the personal stakes helped separate his and Page's feud from Page's previous high profile feuds in AEW.

"What do you do to someone that's like, prior to that match, everything Hangman Page has done in AEW, even in wrestling going back to New Japan, he's done a lot," Strickland said. "I'm like 'Okay, where do I belong in that history book of Hangman Page now?' How do I make my mark in that region of me trying to climb up and get to where he's at?'

"[He's] a former World Champion. He's already had bangers with Kenny, bangers with Bryan Danielson, bangers with the Young Bucks in the tag match. Bangers with like...he had a death match earlier that year with Moxley. So that's like 'Where do I fall in line with any of that?' So...I was like 'I'm going to kick the door open. I'm going to do something that...' none of these guys have been able to get to him the way I did."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Superstar Crossover" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription