It has been nearly 200 days since Kenny Omega last stepped foot in the ‘squared circle.’ Before departing All Elite Wrestling to address several medical issues, Omega relinquished the AEW World Championship to ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, his adversary in a poignant pro wrestling saga crafted around both wrestlers’ characters. Since becoming champion, Page has tackled various challengers with valor and grit. At Double or Nothing, his journey as AEW’s champion may be coming to an end at the hands of the ‘Best in the World’, CM Punk. If that is the case, Page’s reign will still be defined by the groundbreaking storyline that preceded it.
The Belt Collector and the Anxious Millenial Cowboy
Omega and Page entered AEW with built-in history from their shared time in NJPW. Both were members of the Bullet Club, but fell on opposite sides of the ‘Bullet Club Civil War’. Page was Cody Rhodes’s henchman while on his crusade to usurp Omega in power. Despite this, Omega and Page paired up as a makeshift tag team to pursue the AEW tag team titles. The alliance between Omega, the Young Bucks, and Page gradually dissolved as Page’s character struggled with scripted, fictional alcoholism, anxiety, and imposter syndrome.
His character’s issues, Page has said, were inspired by real life emotions, if not events. On social media, Page has been open about the issue of mental health, dubbing himself the ‘anxious Millenial cowboy.’ As AEW breaks new ground in the pro wrestling industry with addressing these matters, Page told ABC News, “In the macho world of pro wrestling, those kinds of emotions are often the least explored and I think people were ready to see that.”
After losing the tag team championships and being jettisoned by Omega, Page’s character found his footing and a support system by being befriended by The Dark Order. Omega, meanwhile, tried to escape the taint of defeat by transforming into ‘The Belt Collector.’ Holding the AEW, AAA, and IMPACT world championships consecutively, Omega portrayed a pro wrestling prodigy whose chase for glory masked massive insecurities. Page and Omega spent 2021 on a collision course which culminated at November 2021’s Full Gear ppv. In a critically acclaimed match, Page defeated his former tag partner in a win that fans had long anticipated. While chasing the AEW world title, Page became an underdog fan favorite.
The Hangman’s Reign
During his six month reign, Page has faced challengers Bryan Danielson, Lance Archer, Adam Cole, and Dante Martin. The matches have ranged from highly rated classics like his encounters with Danielson, to his respectful babyface contest against Martin. Page has been a champion in the Bret Hart mold, proving himself capable against all comers with a believable fighter’s grit. However, none of these storylines has had the narrative depth and tension of his saga with Omega.
In CM Punk, Page has found a challenger not only to his reign but his popularity with the AEW audience. While Page has become the face of a younger and more socially conscious pro wrestling audience, CM Punk is a generational icon. His time with World Wrestling Entertainment in the 2010s provided fans an edgy alternative to an increasingly staid and sanitized product. Punk brought the rebellious allure of the indie wrestling scene with him to WWE, and pushed the envelope with storylines like the ‘Straight Edge Society.’ His arrival at AEW ended several years of eschewing the world of pro wrestling altogether for Punk, after an acrimonious departure from WWE.
While Punk has had some credible matches during his time in AEW, such as his 2021 All Out bout against Darby Allin, his mic presence, legacy, and popularity with AEW’s fanbase are his true strength. Both Page and Punk speak palpably to the alternative to the mainstream idea of a pro wrestler that AEW fans are seeking.
Punk or Page: A Toss-Up
Sports Illustrated has labeled the odds of the outcome of Double or Nothing’s bout between Punk and Page a toss-up, stating, “every argument for Page winning can be met with a counter argument for why Punk should win”. If Page can overcome a monolithic figure like Punk, it would be a defining moment in a reign that has been lacking one since winning the title from Omega at Full Gear.
Conclusion:
Whether his reign ends on May 29 or not, Page’s scripted path to the AEW world championship will always be notable in pro wrestling history as a storyline that started important conversations about mental health issues like anxiety, which resonated with many fans.
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