POLL: The greatest rivalry in AEW history

[RedTwoster]

On Collision, Swerve Strickland said his rivalry with Hangman Page was the greatest in the history of AEW. Simple question - is he right? 

I’ve listed some of the main ones for this poll, but I’m sure I’m forgetting a few obvious options. 

For me, it has to be CM Punk vs MJF, which was absolutely magnificent throughout. Perhaps it’s fortunate Punk left when he did, as there was never the opportunity for them to mess it up. 

[BomberPat]

it has to be Hangman vs. Swerve for me; they've managed to take things that in lesser hands would be the worst Attitude Era type nonsense and turn them into magic, and - within the daft logic of wrestling - made it believable that Adam Page would be so aggrieved by Swerve's actions that he would burn down his childhood home, and that within a couple of years they would have settled their differences enough to not only forgive each other but to willingly team together. It's a story that makes every interaction between them, or one referencing the other, feel charged with potential - Hangman stomping back down to the ring after the cage match, then thinking better of whatever he had in mind - nothing else on this list has produced anything as good. 

[Chris B]

It shows just how good Swerve/Hangman has been that it leaves Omega/Hangman in the dust which was, up until that point, one of the best feuds/storylines I'd seen (admittedly more about Hangman's journey than the feud).

This one has been incredible. It's easy to forget that, at the start, Hangman turned up with butterflies on his jeans and talking about how great teachers were. Swerve brought the hate.

[RedTwoster]

26 minutes ago, Chris B said:

It shows just how good Swerve/Hangman has been that it leaves Omega/Hangman in the dust which was, up until that point, one of the best feuds/storylines I'd seen (admittedly more about Hangman's journey than the feud).

I think the Omega/Bucks/Hangman story is the greatest story I’ve ever seen in wrestling, there’s so much depth to it - much of which I’d not even noticed until you posted that fantastic Twitter threat way back when.

But it wasn’t so much about the rivalry, it was more about Hangman himself. And with Hangman/Swerve it’s similar for me - the rivalry was very intense, but what made it satisfying for me was the journey Hangman took throughout, turning to the dark side before that wonderful moment at All In when his original music played once again. 

So as great as that rivalry was, as much as I enjoyed and enjoy Swerve, for me the Hangman story overshadows it - and that doesn’t end with Swerve, it ends with Moxley. The feud is a chapter in something greater - a wonderful story of redemption. 

[Supremo]

Art.

Ever-continuous. Never-missing.

Art.

[DavidB6937]

I mean if I could just vote for "Hangman vs" then I would, because there's a whole continuous character story there against multiple people that you could join together.

But the Swerve work was ultimately everything. To take Hangman from what he was to what he ended up as was exceptional. Beyond anything Hangman had done before and there was some top tier cowboy shit already. But yeah, it was wonderful to watch unfold and really brought the best out of both men.

When it's all said and done, and everyone truly looks back at what AEW has offered, Hangman is without a doubt the true top of the pile success story in how to offer really gripping character development in wrestling. Historically and modern day. Hell, not just within wrestling.

[Supremo]

I remember when I was a kid, one thing I loved about Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels was that it never felt settled. Their hatred for one another seemed to feed everything else. Even when they were feuding with other wrestlers, it always felt like they were in each other’s orbit, and before too long they’d be back fighting again.

Of course, it wasn’t until years later than I discovered that this was primarily down to them hating each other in real life, and the majority of the snide remarks were due to them trying to bury and wind each other up, rather than actually tell an interesting or engaging story.

Hangman and Swerve have that exact same magic, only this time it’s by design. Their matches actually happen rather than being endlessly delayed due to fake injuries or ripping each other’s hair out backstage. Pretty much everything Hangman or Swerve do is informed and will eventually return to how they’re forever linked to one another. It’s brilliant. I’m already excited for the day when they become Tag Champions and/or eventually return to murdering each other.

To save this from becoming another, “Hangman’s the best,” thread, this same idea is also what makes Kingston and Moxley second to Hangman and Swerve. There’s a real joy to watching guys being intrinsically connected to each other, both as friends or enemies. I love that it was Mox and Kingston who had the greatest entrance of all time, when Mox lost his mind at having crowds back. I love that it was Mox who Kingston beat in the finals of the first Continental Classic, getting the big congratulatory hug. I love that it was Mox and Kingston in the middle of Wembley stadium, tangled in barb wire, flipping each other off.

Plus, now more than ever, it’s always worth being reminded what Eddie Kingston is capable of when his character isn’t, “must dash lads, I’m expecting an Amazon delivery.”

Fucking hell. It still hits. This promo gave me life through Covid. I made it through that complete shit show COS-A-DIS! My mental health survived COS—A-DIS!

Also, to further champion some of the other feuds listed; thanks to this thread I’ve just gone back and watched this entire Supercut of MJF vs. CM Punk. Good lord. CM Punk in AEW was something truly special until it wasn’t. And Seth Rollins is the fucking worst.

 

Edited December 8, 2025 by Supremo

[LaGoosh]

I think all the listed feuds are great and very almost went with Storm/May but Hangman/Swerve has to win it. It's an all timer feud and probably my favourite. Brilliant from start to finish. 

It took all the usual sports entertainment tropes and wacky angles but broke the mould by pushing them as far as you can go. For years we've seen all kinds of mad shit which usually culminates in a standard wrestling match or fairly tame plunder match. Give my wife an RKO then kiss her while she's unconscious? Long, boring wrestling match. Put me in an ambulance then run it over with a giant truck? Let's shake hands after our match. Drag a coffin with my dead dad in it from the back of a truck? I'll chokeslam you and pin you in three minutes. But what Hangman and Swerve did is take those big angles and use them put on some of the most violent and horrific stuff ever in wrestling and have it haunt and destroy the characters involved completely. Break into my house? Well, I'm going to drink your fucking blood. Set my childhood home on fire? Well, I'm going to use a burnt shard of it to try and gouge your eyeball out your head.

Even from the start it made perfect sense. Hangman was resting on his laurels and sitting comfortably in an upper card slot not doing a huge amount with no momentum at all really. Swerve had been losing his way up the card and desperately needed a big win. So he saw that Hangman was vulnerable and outright told him he needed to take his spot and was willing to destroy him and cross every line to do so. Swerve even threw in that he wanted to be the first Black AEW World Champion to give his mission additional credibility. It was the perfect blend of fiction and reality to kick the feud off. 

The feud has one of my favourite and funniest lines from a promo ever when Hangman told Prince Nana he was going to beat his ass then steal his weed. Taz corpsing as Nana screams "No, you're not! You're not gonna' do that!" makes me laugh every time I watch it.

Watching any match I don't think I've had an intense a reaction to anything as seeing Hangman drink Swerve's blood. That whole match was so crazy. An absolute white knuckle ride.

I think it shows how good the feud was that they barely interacted in 2024 and we're mostly kept away from each other but there was a relentless and growing tension in the background the whole time. It wasn't a matter of if but when it all exploded. Hangman joining Blood and Guts just to get his hands on Swerve in some electrifying exchanges then Hangman losing his mind after being eliminated from the Owen Cup. This feud was so good that they even managed to make a main event run-in (a pretty standard thing in wrestling) feel like the wildest and most of out control thing you could imagine.

Hangman's fall really worked because he was so beloved by the fans. Seeing him turn to the darkness and maniacally hurt people and burn houses down was sad to watch.

Then the All Out cage match. Some people hate it and I get that. I've only watched it once and I'll never watch it again. But as a piece of art it's brilliant. It's the only match I've ever actually dreaded watching because the tension was so high. It's an ugly, nasty and depressing match. They try to impale each other under the cage in the first few minutes! It's the standard wrestling feud ender match taken to its logical conclusion - two men trying to maim eachother. But this isn't some IWA Mid South grossfest - the emotion and story runs throughout. Then at the end all Hangman wanted was Swerve on his knees begging for mercy but all Swerve has for him is defiance...and Hangman just kills him for it. Then at the end he probably does the best acting in wrestling history. He He's unsatisfied so he goes to go back in the cage to inflict further punishment and the fans literally scream in horror, but he stops and looks empty and full of regret...then decides to give in fully to evil and starts screaming in victory like a bloody lunatic. Next level stuff.

The misery Hangman inflicts on Swerve doesn't just hurt Swerve it kills Hangman's soul. His journey in 2025 to find himself and forgive himself was beautiful stuff. Hangman is the best long term storyteller in wrestling history and Swerve is the perfect dance partner for him. I hope their story goes on forever.

[RedTwoster]

1 minute ago, LaGoosh said:

I think all the listed feuds are great and very almost went with Storm/May

I was actually tempted to do that too, based on the fact that it had the best feud-ending match I can remember throughout my time in wrestling. I didn’t want Mariah May to leave AEW, but it feels absolutely perfect that her time in the company ended in the way it did. 

As a whole though, the MJF/Punk, Hangman/Omega and Hangman/Swerve feuds eclipse it - and I’m very aware that my feelings surrounding that feud are elevated enormously by the fact the feud-ending match was as perfect as it was. Plus, it’s one of the few cases in wrestling where a story feels definitively over, rather than something that could or should continue. Even if Mariah had remained in AEW, it wouldn’t have felt right for them to return to that story.

[organizedkaos]

MJF/Punk might just be the best feud (at least "pound for pound") and Storm/Mariah was also excellent but especially if we're using the word "rivalry" it's got to be Swerve/Hangman. Obviously it's been a great feud (give or take a slightly wobbly beginning than in retrospect does work) had some incredible matches and moments but it's also an ongoing storyline with twists and turns and there's likely plenty more story to tell.

If things hadn't gone south I'm sure MJF/Punk would easily be in contention but essentially they told maybe two chapters of that story, arguably one. They clearly intended the rivalry to continue, I'd argue it's very clear MJF was to take the title off Punk (possibly quite quickly) and I'm sure we'd have got to a "can they co-exist" bit but yeah... story got truncated massively, can't really argue it's anything other than a couple month program really 

Storm/Mariah is a fully told story but again I feel a great rivalry needs to feel like it's baked into the promotion and the wrestlers. There have been multiple times recently where things get exciting just because Hangman and Swerve are in the same room.. Their rivalry colours and sometimes shapes large chunks of their story and character moments... (You can maybe say that about Toni Storm but the other three... no they were great feuds and then they were done)

[Chris B]

On 12/9/2025 at 9:16 AM, LaGoosh said:

I think it shows how good the feud was that they barely interacted in 2024 and we're mostly kept away from each other but there was a relentless and growing tension in the background the whole time.

Hangman refusing to even say Swerve's name for so long was an amazing touch - and it was a sign that things were back on when he finally did say it.

[The King of Old School]

Looks like I'm in the minority, but I personally would never have Swerve and Hangman team up, I think the alliance the two had should have just been that one moment at All In where Swerve handed Hangman the chain.