AEW Double or Nothing: PAC took the right stand

PAC made a decision to put his brand above that of All Elite Wrestling’s Double or Nothing match with Adam “Hangman” Page and this was the right decision.

This weekend is poised to be an important one in the world of professional wrestling as All Elite Wrestling presents Double or Nothing. As fans and media experts alike opine about what we will see; there’s one thing we can be certain that we will not – the match between PAC and Adam “Hangman” Page. What was one of the more anticipated matches of the year has now fallen by the wayside and created a conversation about the way things were handled behind the scenes. As details come out, there’s one angle that should be widely discussed and that’s as an independent contractor; PAC was right to make the decision that he made.

News broke earlier this week that the match between PAC and Page was off, but there was a shroud of mystery around the “why.” Multiple sources, such as WrestlingInc and Wrestling Observer, began to use the term “creative differences” as the reason why this match was off. Dave Meltzer reported that due to PAC taking his “status as world champion with Dragon Gate seriously, he has not agreed to any losses since winning the Open the Dream Gate title.” That is the main statement around this piece and the idea that PAC was right when he made this decision.

Let’s take a step back and look what brought us to this situation. PAC, then known as Neville, was booked into mediocrity within the WWE and walked out of the promotion in September of 2017. Nearly a year would pass before the talented wrestler would be seen back on the independent circuit. His first big appearance post WWE would come within Dragon Gate; the same organization that gave him a major break early in his career. In December of 2018, PAC won the Open the Dream Gate title from Masato Yoshino and has held that title with an iron grip since and establishing himself as a threat no matter which ring, he finds himself in.

That is what brings us to this situation here. PAC has not loss a clean singles match since that December title victory. In that run he’s been disqualified against the likes of Walter and Zack Sabre Jr, while wrestling to a draw against Will Ospreay – all big names. According to multiple reports looking at this story, PAC did not want to diminish the status that he’s built with this Dragon Gate title by taking a clean defeat at the hands of Page. According to a video from What Culture Wrestling, that decision was made by PAC without the push from the Dragon Gate promotion. Instead of fans not getting the match at all, All Elite Wrestling presented PAC versus Page at Wrestlegate Pro, where PAC was disqualified for attacking the official. PAC then told Page that his goal was to hurt him, and he will not be showing up at Double or Nothing.

As with any controversy in the wrestling world; the social media space has been ablaze with anger – most of it toward PAC. Detractors are using words like “politics” or “ego” to describe the issues that we see here. But few are talking about the fact that PAC is taking a step to look out for his best interests. As an independent contractor, that is exactly what he should do.

Professional wrestling stars are not signed on as employees of major promotions but are instead known as independent contractors. We’ve seen this for decades within the WWE and throughout other organizations. PAC is an independent contractor who appears in companies like Defiant Wrestling, RevPro and Dragon Gate. His value to those companies continues to grow as he is booked as a massive star. Part of that stardom is due to his run as a champion where he’s been undefeated since returning to the independent scene. PAC’s best interest is to protect that status that he’s worked to build – a status that he was unable to obtain while within the WWE regardless of how talented he is.

AEW is an organization that’s presenting itself as a more sports-focused professional wrestling company. AEW will be where wins and losses matter; along with character development. The company is prepared to build Page as a major attraction. But PAC did not want to damage his cache in the wake of such. In an industry where the contractors are usually powerless when compared to promotions, it’s a breath of fresh air to see a wrestler put a stake for his brand over that of the company. And this is something we will see much more of in the coming months and years.