There’s no more tunnel vision in wrestling.
There can’t be. There’s too much volatility between the violence and clashing egos of locker rooms to keep anyone laser focused on a single opponent for very long.
And that’s how it should be.
A true rivalry never ends even if a series of matches comes to a close. You can’t have short-term memory when opponents from the past, present, and potential future are always around, which means you may have to answer for yourself previous sins when you least expect it.
Let’s take a look at how multiple rivalries have been connected to each other in recent weeks…
Ricochet and Swerve Strickland
The two will finally take it to the ring on Dynamite, but after a tense face-to-face on Collision and last week’s encounter following Ricochet’s win over AR Fox, this match can’t happen soon enough. However, someone else was looking for Swerve last week…
Swerve Strickland and Hangman Adam Page
With Renee Paquette looking to get a word from Swerve outside his locker room, a determined Hangman Adam Page blew right past her and into his most hated rival’s sanctuary. Shockingly, Hangman did not enter with anger, as he seemed more concerned with finding Strickland. What could that possibly be about? With Swerve not there, Page tried to move on and even brushed off a question about his surprising actions only to run into MJF…
Check out DraftKings Network Super Bowl coverage with best bets, DFS advice, and more!
Hangman Adam Page and MJF
Yet another chance meeting between two AEW originals and the tension remained high before Page quickly moved on, leaving MJF openly questioning why Page seems to get a pass from the fans despite his actions. This bitterness towards Hangman is not something MJF typically displays in such a blatant fashion. Is it jealousy? In a completely unrelated fact <wink>, the lone singles match between the two happened back in November 2019, the ninth episode of Dynamite. I think they’re due. Of course, MJF was keeping a close eye on a different outlaw…
MJF and Jeff Jarrett
For some reason, Jarrett’s hunt for a final world title has an unwelcome passenger in MJF. With Jarrett rebuffing Max’s help, the two have become fast enemies. After Jarrett lost his opportunity at a title shot, MJF added insult to injury by knocking The Last Outlaw out with the Dynamite Diamond Ring. Will Jarrett take a detour from his championship hopes to teach MJF a lesson?
Or will he want another chance after what happened in his match…
Jeff Jarrett and The Death Riders
Jarrett’s title aspirations caught the attention of Claudio Castagnoli, who made it clear no one was getting to AEW Champion Jon Moxley without getting through him first. That gave us a first-time matchup with Jarrett earning a shot at Moxley’s title if he defeated Castagnoli. A dominant Castagnoli threw everything he had at Double J, and perhaps driven by the fire to get one more run at the top, Jarrett kept getting back up. Unfortunately, the numbers game would be too much for Jarrett and following a Paradigm Shift from Moxley, Claudio neutralized Jarett and his championship dreams. Moxley may have put Jarrett in his rearview, but another former world champ has called his shot…
The Death Riders and Rated FTR
For the last month, the returning Cope and FTR have done everything they can to thwart the violent plans of the Death Riders. On Collision, the Rated R Superstar questioned if Moxley even had a plan before challenging him for the AEW World Title at Revolution next month. In the main event, FTR beat Moxley and Wheeler Yuta in a Mid-South Street Fight in a match that saw all the Death Riders, Cope, and Jay White all get involved. Will Moxley accept? What happens between now and the potential first-time matchup of Moxley/Cope next month? The battles between the two groups has even spawned another rivalry…
Powerhouse Hobbs and Big Bill
In an effort to get on the good side of Moxley, The Learning Tree decided to take out Powerhouse Hobbs before a recent 12-man tag on Collision. Even though Hobbs was able to recover to appear late in the match and win, his focus shifted from Moxley to Chris Jericho’s biggest branch, Big Bill. We’ve seen the two brawl in the parking lot, throughout the backstage area, and even off the stage. A massive matchup awaits…
Until next time, when I’m back to talk about wrestling even more…
You can see Matt as a host and analyst on AEW’s social channels. Matt is also one of the hosts of Busted Open Radio on Sirius/XM. Matt hosts a pro wrestling stream every Monday-Thursday, 3pm ET for Bleacher Report.