Written by: Kevin Berge (All Images Courtesy of: All Elite Wrestling
Looks like me on a typical Monday night, looking ahead to a long work week.
Who is Hangman Adam Page? He was The Problem Solver of the Bullet Club. He was a member of The Elite. He was Ring of Honor Six-Man Tag Team Champion. He was the first man to ever challenge for the AEW World Championship, and lose.
None of that matters to who he is now. He is The Hangman. He is the man that does cowboy shit. He is a former AEW tag team champion. More important than anything else, he is the best wrestler in the world today.
I know that sounds like hyperbole. It is not because he is the most athletic or varied in-ring performer (though he is fantastic). It is not because he can outshine his peers on the mic (though he is one of the best). It is because ultimately wrestling is about story, and no one in the year 2020 has been able to tell a better story than Hangman Adam Page.
None of that matters to who he is now. He is The Hangman. He is the man that does cowboy shit. He is a former AEW tag team champion. More important than anything else, he is the best wrestler in the world today.
I know that sounds like hyperbole. It is not because he is the most athletic or varied in-ring performer (though he is fantastic). It is not because he can outshine his peers on the mic (though he is one of the best). It is because ultimately wrestling is about story, and no one in the year 2020 has been able to tell a better story than Hangman Adam Page.
All Elite Wrestling was built first on the foundation that was The Elite. Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks were all named executive vice presidents of the company. Hangman Adam Page was one of AEW's first signings.
Immediately, this created a disparity between Page and the rest of The Elite, and it was apparent to fans as well. Hangman was built up as an AEW World Championship contender, but few were buying it.
He won the Casino Battle Royal and an opportunity to face Chris Jericho to become the inaugural AEW World Champion. This honor was once in a lifetime. His friends could be executive vice presidents, but he would be the face of the company.
It all fell apart at the finish line. In a vicious fight between him and The Demo God, Page fell, and Jericho became the face of the company. Hangman was left with nothing and no direction. This is where his story truly started.
Immediately, this created a disparity between Page and the rest of The Elite, and it was apparent to fans as well. Hangman was built up as an AEW World Championship contender, but few were buying it.
He won the Casino Battle Royal and an opportunity to face Chris Jericho to become the inaugural AEW World Champion. This honor was once in a lifetime. His friends could be executive vice presidents, but he would be the face of the company.
It all fell apart at the finish line. In a vicious fight between him and The Demo God, Page fell, and Jericho became the face of the company. Hangman was left with nothing and no direction. This is where his story truly started.
Page over here showing Omega that you can have a great match in under 20 minutes.
What makes Page so great is that everything from that loss on has built, step by step. Most wrestling characters are over the top. They are presented as larger than life, and the struggles they face are massive. Wrestlers can get into feuds that put their absolute life on the line.
No fan is going to be able to relate to those stakes. They can be fun to watch, but wrestling has never been well suited for humanizing stars. However, the right moment where wrestling feels real is what truly sells the experience.
From the moment he lost the AEW World Championship, Hangman began to spiral. He tried to leave The Elite and forge his own path. He didn't feel right around the others. The Young Bucks and Omega had their own clique, and Cody had put most of his focus into producing AEW.
This story played out on AEW Dynamite, but it also was heavily produced through the Being the Elite YouTube series. While BTE has not always been canon to AEW's product, Page's story was absolutely canon. Every struggle, every heartbreaking speech he made was driven by his failures in the ring.
When Omega approached him to form a tag team, he was skeptical, but he just wanted to get back to winning. The two men did just that, dethroning SCU to become the AEW Tag Team Champions. They would go on to hold the title 228 days during which Page continued to spiral.
He held onto the tag team titles like a lifeline as he drank himself into a stupor. His anxieties sprout up as he feared losing the title more than appreciated holding it. He doubted his partner as his partner doubted him, leading to a sensational match at AEW Revolution where Page carried his team against The Young Bucks.
It all got so out of hand that he began listening to FTR, who convinced him to cheat The Young Bucks out of a title opportunity FTR won. Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood defeated Page and Omega to become tag team champions.
No fan is going to be able to relate to those stakes. They can be fun to watch, but wrestling has never been well suited for humanizing stars. However, the right moment where wrestling feels real is what truly sells the experience.
From the moment he lost the AEW World Championship, Hangman began to spiral. He tried to leave The Elite and forge his own path. He didn't feel right around the others. The Young Bucks and Omega had their own clique, and Cody had put most of his focus into producing AEW.
This story played out on AEW Dynamite, but it also was heavily produced through the Being the Elite YouTube series. While BTE has not always been canon to AEW's product, Page's story was absolutely canon. Every struggle, every heartbreaking speech he made was driven by his failures in the ring.
When Omega approached him to form a tag team, he was skeptical, but he just wanted to get back to winning. The two men did just that, dethroning SCU to become the AEW Tag Team Champions. They would go on to hold the title 228 days during which Page continued to spiral.
He held onto the tag team titles like a lifeline as he drank himself into a stupor. His anxieties sprout up as he feared losing the title more than appreciated holding it. He doubted his partner as his partner doubted him, leading to a sensational match at AEW Revolution where Page carried his team against The Young Bucks.
It all got so out of hand that he began listening to FTR, who convinced him to cheat The Young Bucks out of a title opportunity FTR won. Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood defeated Page and Omega to become tag team champions.
Not sure if the look in Hangman's eyes is pre-match jitters or just a sudden realization he drank a few too many before hand.
Omega turned against Page. The Young Bucks turned their backs. All of Page's anxieties became realities as he was alone with no championship gold. All he had left was one tournament.
Omega had requested Tony Khan create a tournament to crown the new No. 1 contender to the AEW World Championship. He did so behind Page's back, who ended up entering last minute. Omega and Page made it to the finals where Omega was still ultimately the better man.
Through this whole journey so far, the story may sound simple, but Page has made every moment land. Hangman elevates the work he is involved with to the point that it often feels like those stories suffer the moment he is not involved.
Ultimately, Page is playing a character that feels fully real. He is a reckless drunk with severe anxiety. He cannot process his own failures well and does not feel right where he is, yet nobody is around to help him through it.
It is painful to watch him lose or see him in the background as his friends celebrate their own victories. This is the most complex story wrestling could possibly tell because it contains pathos, a foreign concept to most stories in this sport.
In a year like 2020, we all feel that crippling anxiety. We all fear the loss of our jobs and livelihoods, the lingering constant threat of a pandemic that has claimed the lives of 1.28 million people. Page showcases that with the acting chops of a professional.
Even great actors who have been involved in wrestling ultimately fall into the same tropes, the same cliches, except Hangman. While many could argue that he was the least naturally talented member in The Elite when they were at full strength, he has shown that his true talent comes in areas that no one else can match.
Everything that Page does, the audience can feel. When he finally wins the AEW World Championship, there need to be fans in attendance. The eruption will be monumental because in some ways, we can all see ourselves in Hangman Adam Page.
Omega had requested Tony Khan create a tournament to crown the new No. 1 contender to the AEW World Championship. He did so behind Page's back, who ended up entering last minute. Omega and Page made it to the finals where Omega was still ultimately the better man.
Through this whole journey so far, the story may sound simple, but Page has made every moment land. Hangman elevates the work he is involved with to the point that it often feels like those stories suffer the moment he is not involved.
Ultimately, Page is playing a character that feels fully real. He is a reckless drunk with severe anxiety. He cannot process his own failures well and does not feel right where he is, yet nobody is around to help him through it.
It is painful to watch him lose or see him in the background as his friends celebrate their own victories. This is the most complex story wrestling could possibly tell because it contains pathos, a foreign concept to most stories in this sport.
In a year like 2020, we all feel that crippling anxiety. We all fear the loss of our jobs and livelihoods, the lingering constant threat of a pandemic that has claimed the lives of 1.28 million people. Page showcases that with the acting chops of a professional.
Even great actors who have been involved in wrestling ultimately fall into the same tropes, the same cliches, except Hangman. While many could argue that he was the least naturally talented member in The Elite when they were at full strength, he has shown that his true talent comes in areas that no one else can match.
Everything that Page does, the audience can feel. When he finally wins the AEW World Championship, there need to be fans in attendance. The eruption will be monumental because in some ways, we can all see ourselves in Hangman Adam Page.
