AEW brought the 2024 All Out event to the NOW Arena on August 7, delivering thrilling night of wrestling action. Unlike last year, this event didnt directly follow All In, but even with a week between the two shows, AEW faced tough competition as WWE held their own premium live events, Bash in Berlin and NXT No Mercy. Despite the busy wrestling weekend, September 7 was all about AEW, and they made sure to give fans their moneys worth.
The heated feud between Hangman Adam Page and Swerve Strickland began at WrestleDream in October 2023, where Strickland secured victory over Page. Things escalated when Strickland broke into Pages home and entered his childs room, making the rivalry intensely personal. Their rematch at Full Gear in November was a brutal Texas Death match, which Strickland also won. Both men later competed in a three-way match for the AEW World Championship at Revolution in March 2024, where Samoa Joe retained the title by submitting Page. After that, Page stepped away from television while Strickland captured the AEW Championship in April.
Page made his return in July, entering the mens Owen Hart Foundation Tournament for a chance at a rematch with Strickland at All In, but he was unsuccessful. Strickland lost his title at All In after Page interfered, leading to a confrontation on Dynamite where the two agreed to a Steel Cage match at All Out. On the September 4 episode of Dynamite, during the contract signing, Page was notably absent, as he had traveled to Stricklands childhood homerecently purchased by Stricklandand set it on fire while Strickland watched in horror. Tony Khan later announced that their Steel Cage match would now be an Unsanctioned Lights Out Steel Cage match.
Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page were kept in separate dressing rooms all day leading up to the match. Pages entrance video prominently featured footage of him setting Stricklands house on fire, adding fuel to the already heated rivalry. Prince Nana entered the ring with a legitimate ceramic coffee cup, wisely refraining from throwing it during his entrance. Notably, Hangman Page also smuggled some barbed wire into the cage, setting the stage for a violent confrontation.
The two men started fighting even before the cage was fully lowered, taking the battle outside the ring. Prince Nana threw in a table as the cage descended, and Strickland tried to decapitate Page using the cage. Coming off the recent incident where Jon Moxley suffocated Bryan Danielson with a plastic bag, this choice seemed especially risky.
Once inside the ring, both men wasted no time filling the squared circle with weapons. Hangman Page pulled out a staple gun from a crate, which the Chicago crowd was eager to see in action. Strickland quickly wrested control of the stapler from Page after enduring a few hits, then dished out punishment with it before delivering a backbreaker, ensuring the staples dug deeper into Pages skin.
In a particularly brutal moment, Strickland pulled out a photo of Pages family and stapled it to the former AEW World Champions chest. While intense, this spot didnt quite reach the level of suffocation seen in previous matches. However, the use of the staple gun resulted in several hard-to-watch moments, cementing the matchs unsanctioned status.
Both men took bumps off the cage, with Page busting his head open in the process. Blood streamed from his forehead, but the match continued. Later, Strickland also suffered a head injury, leaving both competitors bleeding profusely. Prince Nana taunted Hangman from the outside, prompting Page to kick at him through the cage, though Nana avoided any real harm.
This bloody, violent match went nearly until midnight on the East Coast, with the Illinois time zone granting them an extra hour, allowing the action to stretch close to 11 PM local time. Inside the ring, the two continued to fight, reopening the gashes on their heads and intensifying the drama.
Hangman bounced Strickland off the cage and dented a chair across his back. Strickland then landed a House Call and a punishing kick, but it wasnt enough for a pinfall. Both men continued to sell the matchs physical toll while showing no signs of backing down.
Strickland teed off on Page with a chair, nearly securing victory after launching Hangman into a chair wedged into the turnbuckle. Page then took a vicious bump onto a cinder block that had been placed in the ring before the cage was lowered, cutting up his back badly.
Strickland set up the table Prince Nana had slid into the ring earlier. On the top rope, Strickland sent Page crashing through the table with a Swerve Stomp, but Page kicked out at two. Page quickly responded with a Dead Eye, scoring a near-fall of his own.
In a dramatic moment, Page pulled out a piece of burned wood from Stricklands destroyed house, resembling a giant stake. Page attempted to stab Strickland with it, but Strickland blocked him and turned the tables, driving the stake into Pages head multiple times. Blood poured from Pages wound, and the Chicago crowd erupted with You Sick F*ck chants.
As Strickland held a piece of his burned house in tears, Hangman retaliated with a low blow and a powerbomb onto the cinder block. Taz, calling the action, exclaimed, That was sick, holy crap! but it still only earned Page a two-count. Prince Nana, looking worried, watched from ringside.
The battle continued with Strickland powerbombing Page into the cage and delivering another House Call for a two-count. Fans watching the live feed on Triller expressed that the match was too brutal, calling for it to end. But Strickland wasnt done yet, climbing to the top of the cage. Page stopped him, landing a top rope powerbomb followed by another Dead Eye, but still only managing a two-count.
Page grabbed a chair and struck Strickland in the head multiple times, but Strickland kept getting to his feet. Prince Nana screamed encouragement from outside the ring as Strickland laughed at Page, taunting him. Eventually, Strickland collapsed in front of Page.
In a shocking turn, Page ripped out Stricklands grill, then retrieved a hypodermic needle from his bag and punctured Stricklands face. This crossed a line for many fans, and the referee called off the match after a brutal chair shot to the head. The camera quickly cut to a long view of the ring, and the match was over. Adam Page was declared the winner, but at what cost? Swerve Strickland was left utterly destroyed as medical staff rushed to the ring while the cage was raised.
Whats your take on AEWs creative direction for Swerve Strickland after losing his AEW World Title? Did they go too far in this match? Is AEW still Swerves House? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
