AEW's 'Hangman' Adam Page's Unconventional Path Continues To Break The Pro Wrestling Mold

At long last, "Hangman" Adam Page returned to All Elite Wrestling after his controversial loss at Revolution with more questions than answers.

Everyone's favorite millennial cowboy reemerged during the latest episode of Collision, wearing the same floral blazer he donned for the company's inaugural press conference in 2019. Surely, it's not a coincidence that Page announced his intention to be the first AEW world champion at the same rally.

His jacket was the kind of Easter egg that the most staunch Elite fans would spot and clamor over. More to the point, his promo is exactly what many of his biggest supporters wanted to hear or scramble to dissect.

However, the jury is still out on whether his journey back will be a story of redemption or reinvention. Can the brand's main character ever escape the shadow of his past failures and grow into the pivotal star many predicted he could be?

A Long and Winding Road For Hangman

Hangman's return boosted the episode's ratings, demonstrating his popularity. Conversely, his seemingly last-minute addition to the show is as puzzling as many of the creative decisions that have marked his time with AEW.

The whole situation is indicative of the fan favorite's struggles to transition from a perennial underdog into a legitimate top guy. It's hard to tell how much of this is self-imposed.

After all, Tony Khan revealed that it was his idea to enact the stipulation that forced him to forfeit his right to challenge for the world title. That was such an inexplicable gamble for someone who has been linked to the company's top prize since its inception.

Page is arguably much more compelling as someone chasing the mantle than as a dominant champ with a long reign. Still, it seems like an unforced error for a wrestler aptly dubbed the main character.

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His failure to defeat Chris Jericho and become the inaugural champion at All Out in 2019 molded him into the most complex and relatable hero on the roster. His two world title wins were the satisfying conclusion to two of the best storylines in AEW history.

The relative unknown to mainstream fans signed with the company as a 27-year-old prospect. He eventually ended Kenny Omega's record-setting reign to cap off a celebrated long-term story at Full Gear in 2021.

Similarly, Page's 2025 redemption arc culminated in the biggest win of his career at All In: Texas. At the event, the Aaron's Creek, Virginia native officially turned face to thwart The Death Riders' stranglehold on the company and liberate its prestigious world title from the briefcase they concealed it in.

Nonetheless, the follow-up to both of those career-defining moments wasn't nearly as memorable. Even worse, the ending to both reigns did more harm than good to his credibility.

The ensuing controversy surrounding his 2022 feud with CM Punk became a dark cloud that followed him for nearly two years. Then, Samoa Joe abruptly concluded his second reign with a divisive steel cage match last year before the logical ending to his trilogy with MJF.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a perfect allegory for the main event scene following Page's loss to Maxwell Jacob Friedman at Revolution. Sergio Leone's influential spaghetti Western classic depicts a race among three bounty hunters to attain gold.

Friedman is the ugly, Hangman's greatest rival and the most conniving heel in the company. Swerve Strickland is the bad, a man who would do whatever it takes to get what he wants.

Page is the good–a flawed hero and a figurative "Man With No Name" who lost his identity, which was his claim to the world title and his signature match, Texas Death. If anyone is resilient enough to recover from such a catastrophic failure, it's him.

However, AEW has a tough task ahead, as it hopes to set one of its founding members on a new road to greatness. Sure, there are plenty of accolades that he still hasn't achieved, and a detour from his main objective could work in his favor.

Hangman could naturally break bad again, go back on his word, and eventually challenge for the world championship anyway. Unfortunately, it's the most plausible workaround for his current predicament.

That would be a disappointing direction, less than a year removed from his gratifying victory at Globe Life Field, for such an excellent babyface. Yet, it would set Page up to develop into the anti-hero he has always been on pace to be.

Considering Will Ospreay's alliance with The Death Riders, he would make an ideal foil for Jon Moxley's pick to lead AEW into the future. He would also logically resent Omega's potential passing-the-torch moment at All In.

Page's role is an unconventional approach to character development, but that's what makes him so fascinating. We've seen his soaring highs and deflating lows, but he remains the most beloved homegrown star AEW has ever produced.

It's unclear whether the company will ever fully invest in him, but his unbeaten path makes him the most realistic pro wrestling character in recent memory. Hangman is unique in a genre full of caricatures; that's what makes him special. This, in turn, offers AEW a refreshing alternative to typical wrestling tropes.