Throughout the history of All Elite Wrestling, few (if any) storylines have been able to match the rivalry between “Hangman” Adam Page and Swerve Strickland, which we here at Wrestling Inc. have previously referred to as a masterpiece. The saga, which likely isn’t over, had many high points through its first year, such as Strickland invading Page’s home and their memorable Texas Death match at AEW Full Gear 2023. Still, nothing was able to top the standout moment from the feud, which saw Page burn down his rival’s childhood home.

In the summer of 2024, after Strickland had become a fan-favorite while Page had been absent from TV, the two renewed their feud in the wake of Strickland’s AEW World Championship run. On the September 4 episode of “AEW Dynamite,” Strickland watched from inside the ring as a video played on the arena screens, showing Page outside the childhood home that Strickland recently shared that he’d bought back. With a deranged expression, Page could be seen ranting as he poured gasoline throughout the home. The video culminated with Page sitting down in a chair positioned outside the house and setting it all ablaze.

The moment elevated not just the feud but the promotion as a whole. While some earlier AEW storylines were able to captivate its audience, no other rivalry had fans screaming in terror at the possibility of what might happen next. There have been AEW storylines since that have come close to approaching the same quality, like the mentorship-turned-rivalry between “Timeless” Toni Storm and Mariah May, but none have been able to quite reach the bar set by Page and Strickland, and much of the story’s success can be credited to that one moment.