What AEW REALLY Thinks About Strickland/Page Blood Drinking Spot
Controversial spot saw Hangman Page drink Swerve Strickland's blood at Full Gear 2023.
'Hangman' Adam Page and Swerve Strickland partook in 2023's most controversial wrestling spot at last week's Full Gear pay-per-view - and AEW were "very happy" with how their Texas Death Match came across.
The bloody bout's most divisive moment came when Page pulled a busted-open Swerve down towards him, let Swerve's blood trickle into his mouth, and then spat it out. Per Fightful Select, Hangman's turn for the vampirious was pitched and planned in advance by the wrestlers, before eventually being approved by their producer.
Some had questioned whether or not the spot was planned or approved, given its graphic nature. We now know that this was the case.
Fightful added that Full Gear's most acclaimed match was well-received within AEW. Strickland, who has emerged as one of AEW's brightest rising stars in 2023, felled Page, hanging him around the ring post and rendering him unable to answer a ten-count. Swerve has since entered AEW's Continental Classic tournament, felling Jay Lethal in his first match.
AEW has not been shy of hosting bloody contests atypical of modern American professional wrestling since its 2019 launch. Page vs. Strickland may have been its most violent yet, drawing impassioned responses from both sides of the debate, though the acclaim appeared to dwarf the criticism.