AEW: Analyzing Hangman Page’s slow turn to the dark side

Predictions

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Sonal: If the past is anything to go by, then there will be conflicts from the start. When Kenny was the IWGP Heavyweight champion, we saw him give the first title shots to his friends or faction members. I think this could be the same again with the Young Bucks or Cody and Dustin probably being at the front of the line for a tag title opportunity. However, I can see this being an issue for Hangman Page who has always worked for whatever he has got.

Josiah: I agree completely. I think the direction they are going for AEW Revolution is to have them defend the tag titles against The Young Bucks. The result of that match can go either way, if they want to continue down the path of Hangman & Kenny teaming for a little while or if they want to make the division a bit quicker with the Bucks going over. I think the best course of action is to milk this for as long as possible, especially since Page is getting huge reactions for his character right now.

Sonal: There is also going to be a major battle of the ego’s with both men known as singles wrestlers and this is going to come to play at some point. Page and Omega have to be two of the most diverse and talented wrestlers on the roster and there will be a time when there’s too many cooks in the kitchen or other title opportunities are on the line. Obviously. The rest of the Elite will side with Kenny and this will be the breaking point for Page – so what happens next?

Josiah: This battle of the egos will eventually come to a head. I love how they have been playing it so far – Kenny not taking the slights personally in the tag matches and going out of his way to think the best of his friend. Hangman getting clearly annoyed by his friendship with the Bucks, when he thinks they should be focusing on their team, is also absolutely fantastic. When the time comes for these two to have their singles match it is going to absolutely tear the house down, and Hangman will come out as one of the top stars in the entire company. They are doing a phenomenal job of building this tension.

Sonal: I always thought this in New Japan but, if Hangman ever did leave the Elite, he wouldn’t join anyone else. Almost like a lone soldier, he would create his own path being neither a babyface or a heel capturing the hearts of the fans but becoming the centre of hatred from wrestlers. It might even be as if Hangman and the Elite never happened. But this is where Page will thrive and, like the G1, he won’t become part of someone else’s legacy but create his own destiny.

Josiah: I have to say, I love this idea. Hangman as a lone ranger type character would be perfect. Some will draw comparisons to Steve Austin, like Moxley is right now, and that will be okay, but Hangman will definitely be his own thing.

I think the idea was for Page to turn heel initially, but even if he does, I can only see it leading to the eventual babyface turn where he will be even more over.

Page can also ride that tweener role well, given that is essentially what he is doing at the moment (though it is really just a babyface with an edge). Page will absolutely create his own legacy going forward, and will be one of the major players in AEW for years to come.