Jim Ross delivers honest verdict on Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page's bloody Full Gear match

The wrestling world is still talking about Swerve Strickland's Texas Death Match against Hangman Page at AEW Full Gear 2023, and Jim Ross is the latest to give his verdict on the now iconic clash.

Swerve and Hangman beat the snot out of each other for half an hour, bleeding all over the place and using anything that wasn't nailed down as a weapon. Strickland may have picked up the victory, but the match itself will be remembered for years to come.

Since Full Gear, everyone has been talking about the Texas Death Match. Some people like Jim Cornette believe the bout was disgusting and pathetic, while others have praised it as one of the greatest pieces of professional wrestling they have ever seen.

Someone who was in attendance for the match was Jim Ross, who acted as part of the commentary team at Full Gear for part of the night. He might have been backstage for the bout, but during his "Grilling JR" podcast, Ross claimed that the match reminded him of the original ECW.

“It was a lot of drama. A lot of physically. They raised the bar, as I tweeted out as the match was going on. Those hardcore-type matches, it reminded me a lot of an old ECW. The matches and the move set and the violence, I guess." (H/T Inside the Ropes)

Ross acknowledged that the bout has divided opinion, but one thing that no one can deny, in JR's eyes, is the effort and work rate of both Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page.

“It was a hell of a performance by those guys. I’m proud of both their efforts. Whether you like the hardcore style or you don’t like the hardcore style, the one thing you cannot do is to criticize the efforts and the work rate of the talents. That was covered.” (H/T Inside the Ropes)

Swerve Strickland picked up a big win on AEW Dynamite

The former AEW Tag Team Champion didn't get much time to rest following Full Gear as he is part of the Gold League of the inaugural Continental Classic.

Strickland will share a block with Jon Moxley, Jay White, Rush, Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal, the latter of whom he faced in the competition's opening bout on the "Thanksgiving Eve" edition of Dynamite.

Strickland landed the "Swerve Stomp" on Lethal for the victory, kicking off his campaign with three points and sending a message to the 11 other participants that he is coming for the crown.

Do you think Swerve Strickland will win the AEW Continental Classic? Let us know in the comments section below!