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Back in 2022, Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland were having quite a lucrative time in AEW. The pair had formed a tag team and had shocked the world by becoming the AEW World Tag Team Champions in a reign which saw a strong dynamic and entertaining matches. One of the most notable parts of this stint with the gold was the ever-present tenseness between the two men. Given that they were both singles stars, there was a growing feeling that their implosion was inevitable, though this was something fans were looking forward to. Having a plan straight after a tag team title loss seemed to bode well for the pair and their AEW futures. However, since their feud began, it has been botched tremendously.
Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland Officially Broke Up In December
It was expected that Strickland would be the one to turn on Lee, and even in their time both as AEW World Tag Team Champions and when they were chasing the gold back from The Acclaimed, Strickland became more of a heel character whereas Lee remained a babyface. This was done well, and even though it wasn’t surprising when Strickland turned his back on Lee, the build up to it had been done pretty much. However, the first issue in this feud was the fact that Lee forgave Strickland and continued to team up… only for the same thing to happen again.
It took another month for things to really blow over though, when Strickland formed a new stable - Mogul Affiliates - and used them to ambush Lee in December. The attack was brutal, with Strickland stomping Lee with some bricks. It was a strong image that should have really represented what this feud is all about. However, instead of capitalizing on this moment, this wrote Lee off TV for two whole months, which had a bad effect on the momentum of the rivalry overall.
AEW Haven’t Put Focus On Keith Lee Vs. Swerve Strickland
In Lee’s absence, Dustin Rhodes provided a filler for Strickland, but the feud was mostly confined to Rampage, which has significantly less focus and viewership than Dynamite. Finally, in February, Lee made his return to AEW with a brand-new look and he took it to Strickland and Mogul Affiliates. For the weeks that followed, minor interactions, backstage interviews, and squash matches were what carried this feud forwards, until a tag team match on Rampage between the two feuding sides. It was fine but nothing special, and for a first in-ring interaction between Lee and Strickland, it didn’t feel significant.
It then seemed like AEW had given up on the feud as Keith Lee switched his focus to Chris Jericho for a week on Dynamite, but Strickland reignited the spark (or attempted to at least) by costing Lee his match with Jericho. However, once again, AEW have failed to really heighten the tension. It has been presented like a background feud, and with fans not tuning into Rampage, they miss the majority of the interactions between the two which aren’t too notable anyway. Additionally, Strickland has now also aligned with The Embassy, added another complicated detail to a rivalry that has no focus anyway.
It seems as though the pair will eventually face off at Double or Nothing 2023 in a big PPV singles match. Some tension was added to the rivalry in recent weeks as Strickland and his cronies ambushed and attacked Dustin Rhodes, who has now become a regular ally of Lee in the “Naturally Limitless” tag team.
This Has Been A Poor Case Of An AEW “Long-Term” Feud
Fans are usually all for long-term storylines, and perhaps on paper the feud between Lee and Strickland has in fact been a ‘long-term’ one. Ever since they broke up as a tag team, it has been around six months and they have still yet to have a singles match. However, there have been several lull periods in this rivalry with nothing happening, and aside from a few attacks here and there, the rivalry has seen no true developments. Sure, they may hate each other a bit more, but there has been little creativity in making things more personal or truly heated. It hasn’t been long-term, it has been slow and uninteresting.
By the time Double or Nothing rolls around, it will have been far too long for this rivalry. It needed a conclusion months ago when it was hotter. If AEW has built it better like an Adam Page vs Kenny Omega or CM Punk vs MJF feud, then a long wait for a singles match may not have been as jarring, but in this instance it has proven to only negatively affect this story even more.