“Hangman” Adam Page is chasing redemption at AEW All In Texas, his story mirroring the company’s efforts. Few things in entertainment compare to how wrestling fans rally behind someone and push them to glory. Page experienced that magic in 2021, the same spirit that defined AEW’s early days. But sticking the landing is tough. Now, with lessons learned through highs and lows, Page and AEW are ready to recapture that magic.
AEW fans roared when Page defeated Kenny Omega, one of his generation’s greatest, to win the AEW world championship in 2021. It was more than a title win. Page stepped out of the long shadow cast by fellow Elite members Omega, Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks. Unlike AEW’s previous champions, who arrived with decorated resumés, this was Page’s first world title. “Hangman” was AEW through and through.
“I had worked so hard for so long to win the world championship,” Page told CBS Sports. “That’s where my vision was. That’s all I thought about.
“But I probably didn’t take a lot of time thinking about the morning, week, or month after.”
What follows the journey’s climax is rarely as exciting. When the story peaks with winning the title, everything afterward risks feeling anticlimactic. Page had an honorable first run, holding the belt for nearly 200 days with standout matches against the likes of Bryan Danielson. But it’s not a reign that sticks out, something Page chalks up largely to his attitude.
“That’s a different challenge,” Page said. “There’s a different kind of drive to win something versus keep it… There are a lot of times I felt that was it for me, as far as these big opportunities.”
Page’s self-reflection comes at a crucial juncture. Affectionately dubbed an “anxious millennial cowboy” by fans, “Hangman” moseys into Globe Life Field on Saturday in front of AEW’s largest North American audience. All In is reportedly set to break multiple North American gate records for a non-WWE wrestling show. Approximately 20,000 fans will converge on Arlington, Texas, as he seeks to free the world title from Jon Moxley’s grasp.
Page’s redemption arc mirrors AEW’s quite poetically, as he’s spent the last three years scraping and clawing his way back to glory. AEW has made great strides this year to remedy a downturn trend that started in 2023. The live crowds are loud, critical reception has been very good and viewership numbers have leveled out. It reminds Page of old times.
“It very much feels, week to week, like a lot of the same magic of those first few weeks and months of AEW TV…” Page said. “The trajectory has felt upwards. I’m grateful to still be here and a part of it.”
Many fans see “Hangman” as AEW’s main character. Few wrestlers resonate with an audience the way he does. He’s flawed and prone to failure, but unwavering in principle. Asked why fans relate so deeply to him, Page has wondered the same.
Page is an outstanding wrestler who’s also grown immensely on the mic, but AEW isn’t short on great workers or talkers. What sets him apart is his authenticity. Even when portraying a darker version of himself, Page won’t lob insults that contradict his real-world views.
“It’s always important to me that what I give you is genuine. It’s true. It’s real,” Page said. “There are certain things about me that even at my lowest, I won’t betray. There’s nothing in it for me to betray those things. These aren’t necessarily conscious decisions.
“The me that you’ve seen is me… for better or worse, a thousand times over.”
Check out the full interview with “Hangman” Adam Page below.
Nearly a year has passed since fans last saw the AEW world title. Moxley locked it away in a briefcase, holding it hostage. If Page reclaims it on Saturday, it won’t just mark his redemption; it could symbolize AEW’s, too.
“I think back to how wrestling felt for me when AEW was beginning. The early days when it was fresh, exciting and new,” Page recalled. “The sense that we were working towards a common goal of creating the most interesting, compelling wrestling TV…
“The world championship was a physical manifestation of those things for me.”
This news was originally published on this post .
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