Folks, wrestling’s on fire—literally! And if you tuned in to AEW Dynamite on September 4, then you witnessed Hangman Page trade his cowboy hat for a firestarter kit as he casually sat in front of Swerve Strickland’s burning childhood home. Yes, the man didn’t just metaphorically burn down the house, he did it for real! Move over “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, we’ve got “Scorched Earth” Hangman Page now, and boy, did this angle get people talking.
Thanks to a Fightful Select report, we’ve got the backstage scoop on how this fiery spectacle came to be. It turns out the house wasn’t just a random Airbnb—they set fire to the actual childhood home that Strickland had reminisced about earlier in the show. Talk about adding insult to arson! AEW had this blaze planned for months, which explains why Strickland’s recent contract signing at All In was more than just ink on paper—it was the gateway to buying back his old home, only to watch it go up in smoke. Honestly, it’s one of the most savage moves in wrestling history, and that’s saying something.
The whole thing was carried out with professional supervision (because even in wrestling, real fire safety counts), and AEW is apparently thrilled with how it turned out. But here’s where it gets hilarious: some wrestlers backstage didn’t know this was a storyline and actually congratulated Strickland on purchasing his childhood home! Imagine thanking your coworkers for the support, while knowing it’s about to become a bonfire in primetime TV. What a twist.
Now, while most people might assume burning down someone’s house would land you in jail, AEW’s got their bases covered. According to Fightful, there’s a “storyline reason” that keeps Hangman Page in the main event at All Out instead of behind bars. Because of course, who needs legal consequences when you’ve got a wrestling match to headline?