This Bold Decision is The Game-Changer AEW Needs to Challenge WWE's Dominance

Most fans wouldn't have predicted "Hangman" Adam Page would win the 2025 men's Owen Hart Foundation Cup Tournament, but it's the shrewd move All Elite Wrestling needed. 

This year's Double or Nothing marked the sixth anniversary of AEW and its inaugural pay-per-view. So it was fitting that one of its founding members should become the number one contender for the world title in the main event. 

It has been a long road to redemption for Hangman, who lost the AEW World Championship to CM Punk at the same event in 2022.

However, everything he has been through over the past six years makes the 33-year-old the right man to dethrone Jon Moxley and lead the company forward. 

It was a bold decision to go with the fan favorite and forego Will Ospreay's crowning moment after an incredible year. After all, The Aerial Assassin had quickly developed into the most consistent performer on the roster, and it's hard to deny the Englishman is everything you would want in a top star. 

Still, AEW's core audience needed a moment like this to restore its faith in the product it originally gravitated to.

This year has been a return to form for WWE's chief competitor, and one of its best homegrown stars should be the one to lead the promotion back to glory.

Hangman Is The Right Choice

Page is arguably AEW's greatest success story. Unlike the other members of The Elite, most of his formative moments and signature wins occurred during the foundation of the company and its first six years on television. 

Many already considered The Young Bucks one of the greatest tag teams of all time due to their work as indie wrestlers and their tenure with PWG, Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Likewise, Kenny Omega had already earned the moniker of The Best Bout Machine after his legendary run with NJPW in 2017.

Cody Rhodes had already established himself with WWE and worked diligently to prove he was a draw elsewhere. 

Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Hangman came into his own as an AEW wrestler and created an indelible connection with the fans. That's what makes him so special to them. He’s their guy because his journey runs parallel with the inception and growth of the company. 

During the initial press conferences for the first Double or Nothing, Page was the first person to declare his intention to become world champion. Even when some of us didn't see the vision, he has always demanded the opportunity to be the face of the company.

We watched him struggle to earn the respect of the fanbase and crawl back from his early failures. By the time he faced Omega at Full Gear in 2021, we were ready to believe because he had grown into such a complex character.

His first world title reign came at the height of AEW's success, but he still hadn't scratched the surface yet. A defining win over the most revered wrestler on the roster and back-to-back defenses against Bryan Danielson weren't enough to silence some detractors.

Nevertheless, his long-term story arc has given him the depth and pathos needed to keep viewers invested. The AEW world title means more to him than anyone, and he has gone through hell and back to earn the right to hold it. 

If anyone is going to walk into All In: Texas on July 12 and reclaim the most coveted prize in the company, it should be our "Anxious Millennial Cowboy."

Stick with What Got You to The Dance

In February, we predicted a growing shift in perception between AEW and WWE. The latter was on a hot streak year that has since cooled down, while its competition has delivered the better product for most of the year. 

WWE remains the industry leader, raking in record-setting ticket and merchandise sales. However, the quality of its weekly shows and premium live events has taken a dip, and fans have seemingly grown tired of the price hikes and some of the negative press under TKO Group. 

Even more, Triple H's creative regime has taken more criticism than ever lately after a disappointing WrestleMania season. Meanwhile, AEW got back to what it does best, and its output has improved in comparison.

Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

The Death Riders storyline is the most divisive aspect of its programming. In fact, it's telling that Moxley did not compete in the most well-received AEW PPV main event of the year so far. 

Giving Ospreay and Page top billing at Double or Nothing showed fans that there is light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. Their men’s Owen Hart Cup final was more of what made the company stand out. 

Similarly, the Anarchy in the Arena match is a spectacle totally unique to AEW, and that's why it works. If Tony Khan should learn anything from the response to last weekend's PPV, it's that his idiosyncratic approach to pro wrestling works. 

Fans want an alternative, and AEW is at its best when it can provide a distinct viewing experience. More to the point, Hangman's ongoing story has been a highlight of the last six years, and that should be emphasized. 

Chris Jericho, Punk and Moxley have given the company a boost in star power, but it's time to bet on its homegrown star. Page may still be an unlikely choice to some fans, but he's the perfect choice to save AEW from The Death Riders.

His win at All In: Texas is the unexpected feel-good moment AEW needs right now. It would be a fitting reassurance for viewers that the company is back on track.