[7.0] "This match was perfectly fine for tv. There were some good spots on the outside to give it that "hardcore" feel. Hardy did a good job of putting over Strickland before him and his brother head to Impact/TNA."
[6.0] "Surprisingly a great match here, Jeff Hardy looked great in singles competition, Swerve helps a lot, he's insanely good. Of course Jeff has his current limitations but this was more about the excitement than actual technique or good executions, the crowd was all into it and it had some thrilling spots, very pleasant experience - {***}"
[7.0] "It starts off very strong, but as the match progresses, you can see Jeff lose rhythm and gas. A lot of great spots and the specticle of seeing them wrestle is fun, but it would've been just as good or better had a few minutes been shaved off. Fun, but nothing more."
[8.0] "[3.75/5] This is the first Jeff Hardy match I have seen in years, and I am shocked at the level he can still perform at. Great match from start to finish, with the crowd being invested for the entirety. Even got a "holy shit" chant. Fire match."
[9.0] "I'm honestly surprised by how perfect this match is. Both performers continuously worked well together and in sync. They knew exactly how and when to hit each other, when to be in each spot, always selling perfectly. This is just a match that should be studied. And the fact that Jeff's performance turned the crowd into doing "Hardy's House" chants? This worked super well. 4.75/5"
[7.0] "I think this was really good, just a tad slow and awkward in moments where Hardy clearly was feeling his age and years of painful bumps in his body. Nevertheless, he worked really hard and this was his best match in AEW against someone not named Darby Allin. I also like the slow burn heel turn the Hardys are going through, as it is character development. Will it lead somewhere? No clue, but we never really know in wrestling anyway. I am just glad they are building something."
[8.0] "This is my pick for match of the night. Yea I know this isn't the same Jeff from our childhoods however this man is still putting on solid matches and this match right here is no different. I hope to see Jeff hardy have more of a singles run and puts on more bangers like he did tonight. Great stuff here."
[7.0] "Another good match for Hardy recently. It helps against someone like Strickland, but Hardy definitely held his own here. I'm very interested to see how prominently he's used going forward. I think he may have not been in a spot like this due to his personal problems, but I really hope that's all behind him now, I would really hate for his career to end because of something stupid."
[4.0] "This was fine. Jeff is not the Jeff of yesteryear but at the same time he looks maybe a bit better than he has in the past year or however long he's been with AEW. Swerve once again is going up an old guy he probably should just squash but they have to extend it into a full match."
[6.0] "Jeff Hardy is visibly older, noticeably slower but working his ass off and pulling off matches that I didn't think he had in him anymore. That's enough for me. Swerve is great here too, as effortlessly smooth as ever despite the Jeff Hardy but he wasn't really the focus in this one for me. Jeff Hardy is doing decent to good work, and that makes me happy."
"[7.5] THOUGHTS: Jeff & Matt have been teasing a heel turn as of late, I believe I saw Matt mention that of Twitter, but also when you look at last Friday on Rampage Jeff didnt dap up Darby Allin after Darby tried to show him respect, not to mention the interviews and promos of late have been slightly heelish, I think The Hardys are washed but could they reinvent themselves as heels, I wont rule it out, but I wont hold my breath either. Jeff had a nice following in this match, the crowd still likes The Hardys even if this podcaster is over it. My prediction for the full-on Swerve face turn has to have him turning on Prince Nanna, I am over the dance at this point, and in-fact might keep Swerve a heel as the dance might have jumped the shark. Speaking of dances Swerve imitating the Jeff Hardy dance made me smile. There was a ton going on during the picture and picture in this match, if your like me and tend to drift during the P N P segments, go rewatch. The odd thing about Jeff Hardy is he isnt doing much different on offense then he was doing in 2003 but his offense is still pretty current, showing just how far ahead of the game Jeff was. SPOT OF MATCH: Jeff Hardy was on the ring apron, Swerve swept hit legs out from under Jeff, then hit Hardy with a thrust kick, which left him dangling off of the ring apron, Swerve then slid out of the ring and hit a cutter on Jeff Hardy on the outside of the ring, very cool very innovative sequence. Honorable Mention Swerve was dazed on or around the ringside guard rail, so Jeff Hardy took that as an opportunity to springboard off the steel steps and flying leg kick Swerve over the ring side barricade, that was as stiff a looking hit as your going to see. Honorable Honorable Mention The Twist of Fate on the steel steps was pretty fn cool. Honorable Honorable Honorable Mention Jeff throw his body off the top rope at Swerve, Tony called it a flippy floppy. FINISH: Swerve Stomp for the 123 CAGE MATCH RATING: 6.69 on 96 votes, yeah I am half a point and some change higher, I had this as a 7.5 honestly would have been higher but there was a little bit of sloppiness right before the finish, this was a damn good match, they did way more before the commercial break than most AEW matches which I felt the need to mention, good match. WINNER: Swerve"
[7.0] "A good TV match, better than I thought it would be actually. After looking like crap for the last several years, Jeff Hardy in his last two matches has shown he can still have a good match as long as he has a really high level opponent. Strickland kind of carried him here but he did alright for himself."
[7.0] "This match surprised me. Swerve Strickland is always good and Jeff Hardy... didn't suck. It's obvious that he has very few good matches left in him, but if he keeps on with performances like this, it's alright if he sticks around for a bit."
[7.0] "What a good guy Swerve is, honestly he is and Jeff Hardy didn't displease, so well, at least they were able to put on a decent show in the ring."
[9.0] "So... This is probably Jeff Hardy's best non-plunder singles bout in the last three to five years, right? I was shocked at how good he looked here, he flowed extremely well off Swerve's offense and we got to see them both do some cool stuff and throw out their greatest hits. I'd say Jeff's matches with Darby were better spectacles overall, but this was a fantastically worked wrestling match. These guys showed some pretty insane chemistry and looked smooth together, I had a great time overall. Also, even though the crowd kinda sucked during this show, they were definitely alive for this bout. *4.25*"
[7.0] "Wow, Jeff's looking 10 years younger in this last two matches. Sadly, it seems that Matt was holding him back these last months. Lots of cool spots in this one. (***3/4)."
[7.0] "Onestly, the best match Jeff's Hardy match in this last months and probably years. Good chemistry between wrestlers , good spot, i loved the Twist of Fate on iron scales and Prince Nana's dance on Jeff after he goes out the ring. The final of the match is speed and logic, Swerve uses the striking moves to put Jeff in position for the Stomp."
[7.0] "[3.75*] This match had enough space for Swerve and Jeff Hardy to show their talent and it worked. Hardy did very well in this match, his string of matches against Darby and Swerve show that he can still have good singles matches. Both of their performances were good and fun."
[7.0] "Even though there were obvious moments where Swerve was working a more deliberate style than he's accustomed to (presumably to buy Jeff some extra time in between sequences), this was a fun match. The crowd (thankfully) came alive for this one too, which helped lend energy to what could've been a perfunctory Swerve win. Jeff did a nice job with the big spots (e.g., the ring steps/barricade leaping spot, the Twist of Fate on the steps) which gave him some shine while allowing Swerve to look like he never actually lost control of the outcome."
[5.0] "This match was laborious, as expected actually... There were good intentions - and that's why it's average and not bad - but as talented Swerve is, trying to make Jeff Hardy shine made the match lose its rhythm and fluidity. It was also far too long for what it was."
[7.0] "One of Jeff Hardy's better matches in recent times.Obiously Swerve was going over but they did execute the match as good as could be expected. Maybe not the pairing one expected to see on the show but a good candidate for match of the night. Swerve can add a win against a big name to his record and Hardy deliered further proof that he still has some decent matches in him."
[6.0] "Credit where it's due, this was the loudest the crowd was. Jeff Hardy can still carry out a gameplan well, it's just when things go off script that his limitations show themselves. He threw himself into dropkicks and other moves, which was mostly down to instability. Well done Swerve for carrying a tough assignment."
[7.0] "Jeff Hardy has been written off by many during this AEW run, including by me, but in the last two weeks, he's had great matches with Darby Allin and now Swerve Strickland. Of course those two are among the best in the world right now in their fields, but Hardy contributed heavily to both matches, this one veered on excellent, even though he didn't have a prayer of winning."
[6.0] "It was an okay match, and Jeff Hardy looked really good here, delivering some memorable moments like the dive into Swerve, sending both of them past the barricade, and the Twist of Fate into the steel steps. Additionally, Swerve mocked Jeff Hardy's dance, adding to the emotional drama. The only thing I didn't like about the match is that I felt Jeff Hardy was too dominant against Swerve, despite losing. While it's fine for Jeff Hardy to look good in this match, if they're building towards an AEW world title match, it would be better to see a more balanced 50/50 exchange between them."
[7.0] "A good match and one that showed that Jeff Hardy can still deliver when given the platform. His match with Darby on Rampage last week was similar in that manner. Good chemistry between he and Strickland and a needed clean win over a former multitime world champion is a nice move to have made with it. It made me more interested in seeing Jeff Hardy singles matches within the company versus continuing with he and Matt as a team. A good showing for both talents and one that I would not be opposed toward seeing more from in the future."
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