AEW WrestleDream results: Swerve makes a statement with win over Hangman

Much of the card for AEW’s WrestleDream PPV consisted of “dream matches” that promised to be impressive but didn’t necessarily feature a lot of story behind them, let alone heat.

Then there was Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland. The two men quickly built a compelling feud based on their recent struggles to break through AEW’s midcard ceiling. It was aided by Page’s involvement in backstage drama over the past year-and-a-half (which Hangman alluded to when talking about the “black cloud” that’s hovered over him during that timeframe), and a hot Seattle crowd that was firmly behind hometown guy Strickland despite the fact he was the heel in the match.

Once the bell ran, it was a hard-hitting affair full of big spots. Page had his nose bloodied and possibly broken early. It didn’t stop him from bringing the fight to Swerve, and playing to the boos fro Climate Pledge Arena.

Strickland battled back, and battled through the hand injury Hangman inflicted during their contract signing Wednesday. A Swerve Stomp and a House Call looked like it could be the end, but Page kicked out at two. They both attempted big moves on the apron. Eventually it was Hangman who hit Deadeye on the steel ring steps.

Too much time passed by the time Page got Strickland back in the ring, Swerve had recovered. He executed a plan to take away Hangman’s lariat arm, hyperextending it, Stomp-ing him while trainer’s checked on him, and then hitting a splash on the wounded wing.

It meant that when Page hit the Buckshot Lariat later, it hurt him almost as much as it did Strickland.

It looked like Swerve’s manager Prince Nana would decide things, first by getting his Mogul Embassy client’s foot on the ropes to break up a pinfall count, then by slipping Strickland his crown to blast Hangman with when he went for another Buckshot. Page would kick out once, but a JML Driver was enough to prove that Seattle and WrestleDream are definitely his house.

Will Swerve climb the card from this win? Or will he have to face Hangman on neutral turf first?

Get complete WrestleDream results and coverage of the entire show here.