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To many, the founding of AEW in 2019 was a revolution for the wrestling industry – a seismic shift in a landscape long dominated by WWE. The cast for this exciting new brand included Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and soon enough, Jon Moxley.
With all this star power, few could have predicted that the company's first era would largely be defined by then-28-year-old former school teacher 'Hangman' Adam Page.
Throughout his run in ROH and NJPW, Page had been looked at by many fans as a hanger-on within The Elite – a fifth wheel neither as talented in the ring as Kenny Omega nor as savvy in self-promotion as The Young Bucks. Few thought that he deserved to be in the running for the AEW World Championship, and when he lost the title's inaugural match to Chris Jericho at All Out 2019, even fewer questioned it.
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What fans didn't see coming was the slow-burn storyline being built by Omega and The Bucks, which would ultimately catapult Hangman Page into an arguably greater spotlight than any of AEW's other founding members. Over the next two years, The Elite carefully wrapped the company around him.
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And Page played his role to perfection. He wasn't a cocky, wisecracking top dog. Neither was he a Boy Scout or a conqueror. His confidence was often shaken. He made bad decisions and turned to vices to hide his pain. His lone catchphrase seemed designed more to trick himself into believing than to sell t-shirts.
Hangman wasn't bulletproof, and the fans loved him for it. He represented a new kind of babyface, full of insecurities and painfully obvious flaws. And when he finally found the resolve to stand before his former friends in The Elite, fans knew that he was ready to take his rightful place at the top of the mountain.
Adam Page's odyssey from an undeserving challenger in 2019 to the face of All Elite Wrestling in 2021 is still considered by many to be the greatest story the company has told in its short history.
Hangman's tale is something of an encapsulation of AEW's first era, but darker times were ahead, and they began with his crowning as champion.
Babyface without a chase, rehab, and CM Punk
There's a belief within the pro wrestling industry that fans will stop caring about a babyface once they've won the title. While this may be true to a certain extent, the shift in the Jacksonville-based promotion after Hangman Adam Page won the AEW World Championship extended far beyond his connection with the audience.
Page's feud with The Elite ended abruptly after Full Gear 2021. Kenny Omega, who had been enduring a grueling schedule with several nagging injuries, immediately went on hiatus after the pay-per-view to undergo surgery.
Speculation was rife that Hangman's first major feud with the title would be against former champion Jon Moxley. Unfortunately, Moxley also went on hiatus, checking himself into rehab to overcome his dependency on alcohol. The move was widely celebrated but left the champion without a clear storyline moving forward.
Hangman's reign would include several critically acclaimed matches against Bryan Danielson, Lance Archer, and Adam Cole. But with The Elite taking a step back in Omega's absence, it became clear to fans that the two-year storyline of Page's ascent had reached its end, and no further chapters had been written. As a result, Hangman was largely set adrift with the AEW World Championship.
Meanwhile, CM Punk was being positioned at the top of the card. Interest had shifted to the dramatic storyline unfolding between Punk and rising star MJF. Tony Khan invested heavily in The Second City Saint, who was the company's de facto top draw and a potential lure for more casual viewers.
By the spring of 2022, the time had come to take the title off Hangman Page as AEW prepared to ride into a potential 'Summer of Punk.' But a festering backstage rivalry and an injury to the company's top star set disaster in motion.
The interregnum and the future of AEW's Hangman Page
CM Punk defeated Hangman Adam Page for the AEW World Championship at Double or Nothing 2022. For many of the company's hardcore fans, it was a deflating experience, made even worse when Punk broke his foot just a week later and went on hiatus with the title still around his waist.
When Punk returned, the real-life beef between The Second City Saint, The Elite, and Page was laid bare for all to see. The ugliness of the situation, the trading and vacating of titles, and the controversy surrounding AEW at that time all made The Cowboy's triumph at Full Gear less than a year earlier seem like a distant memory.
Hangman lurked in the background as a series of disastrous events and periods of upheaval unfolded and eventually found himself in the trios division. He received another shot at singles glory from then-champion Jon Moxley in October 2022 but unfortunately suffered a concussion during their bout. While he was recovering, the AEW World Championship changed hands once again.
With the era of MJF underway, Page returned to finish his blood feud with Moxley, ultimately leading to his reunion with The Elite to face off against The Blackpool Combat Club. Since then, Hangman has drifted from pre-show battle royals and one-off singles matches on Rampage to the ROH Six-Man Tag Team division.
As unexpected as Page's rise was in the company's first two years, his descent has arguably been even more surprising. The former AEW World Champion seems as far removed from the main event scene now as he was after his loss to Jericho at All Out 2019.
Not all hope is lost, however. Hype has been building lately around Hangman's intensely personal feud with the villainous Swerve Strickland, and fans are becoming excited about the renewed babyface fire in Adam Page. But for a man once touted as AEW's 'Main Character,' the fall has been long and steep.
At only 32 years old, Hangman is the youngest member of The Elite, who have similarly become less and less active in the main event scene. There's plenty of time for Adam Page to regain his position as the face of the company, but only time will tell if Tony Khan is willing to invest in The Cowboy.
The thoughts and ideas expressed in this article are opinions. Let us know what you think in the comments section below!
