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A former WWE Superstar has fired shots at Hangman Adam Page, claiming that he would have become AEW World Champion by now if he had been given the same opportunities as the latter.
Swerve Strickland recently took to X to send a message to his rival ahead of their imminent encounter on the upcoming episode of Dynamite. The former NXT North American Champion has been embroiled in a bitter feud with Page since September 2023. Strickland holds two singles victories over the Anxious Millenial Cowboy, having defeated him at WrestleDream 2023 and later at Full Gear in a bloody Texas Death Match.
Both Strickland and Page are undefeated in 2024 and topped the January 2024 rankings in the men's singles division. On the January 31 episode of Dynamite, Page confronted Strickland after the latter's victory over ECW legend Rob Van Dam. The former DEFY World Champion challenged Page to another singles bout. The match was made official for next week, with the winner set to challenge Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship at Revolution 2024.
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In his post on X, Strickland alluded to a remark he had made to the 32-year-old at the start of their rivalry, claiming that he would have already become the Jacksonville-based promotion's first African-American world champion.
"'If I would've gotten the same opportunities you did 3 years ago, I would've already been the first African American @aew world champion.....' (one trophy emoji between two inverted red triangle emojis)," wrote Strickland.
Check out the tweet below:
Swerve Strickland praised former AEW World Champion Hangman Page
Swerve Strickland is one of the fastest-rising stars on AEW's roster. He had a very impressive showing in the 2023 Continental Classic tournament, advancing to the semi-finals on the Gold League side. The 33-year-old talent recently shared his opinions on his arch-rival, Hangman Adam Page.
Strickland and Page have cultivated one of the most heated feuds in AEW's history. Their polarizing Texas Death Match at Full Gear 2023 was one of the most violent encounters the promotion has seen thus far. The pair will lock horns again on the February 7 episode of Dynamite to determine the number one contender for Samoa Joe's AEW World Championship.
Speaking on the Swerve City podcast, Strickland complimented Page for his in-ring capabilities.
"[Page] is another freak of nature that we don't give enough credit to," Strickland said in regard to their match at Full Gear. "He's just a hoss of a man, and he's agile as hell for how big he is, how smooth he is. He has a motor on him."
The Washington native also praised Page for his character work, which blends the contrasting traits of insecurity and vengeful confidence.
"I felt like you got both sides of that in that match," Strickland continued. "Which is very hard to do when you're bleeding all over the place."
Who will face Samoa Joe for the world title at Revolution? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
