3 potential challengers for “Hangman” Adam Page’s AEW World Title
On the Jan. 5 episode of All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite, AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page and Bryan Danielson battled for nearly 30 minutes over the young promotion’s richest prize to kick off the show’s debut on TBS.
Much like their first match, Danielson and Page put together a classic championship bout, but this time, “Hangman” connected with his trademark Buckshot Lariat well before the 60-minute time limit expired — Danielson/Page I ended in a draw with the same time allotment — and scored the decisive pin over his most recent archrival.
Now that Page’s conflict with “The American Dragon” appears to be over (for now), it’s time to ponder who from AEW’s dense roster could be next for the Anxious Millenial Cowboy.
These are three potential challengers for AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page.
Adam Cole
As of Jan. 7, AEW has Adam Cole listed as the number one contender in the men’s singles rankings, and with a win over Jake Atlas on the Jan. 7 episode of AEW: Rampage, he is likely to remain in the top five once the standings update.
Right now, Cole is intertwined with the ongoing story with him, The Young Bucks, and reDRagon, but he could easily take a detour from that tug-of-war and challenge Page for the world title.
Not only would Page/Cole lead to a great match, but it would also allow AEW to revisit the interaction between the Bucks and Page from Full Gear 2021 (hopefully with a bit more subtlety) and to continue to plant some seeds for a future Cole/Omega feud; all it would take to foment the latter is to have Cole claim that he’ll “do what Omega couldn’t”.
This match is happening at some point. AEW may hold off on it for a while, but going to it now wouldn’t be the worst idea.
Miro
Since losing the TNT Championship to Sammy Guevara last September, Miro has spent most of his time lashing out at his god for cursing him with a weakness (his vulnerable neck) that made him prone to defeat. This contempt only intensified when Miro — as a substitute for Jon Moxley — lost to Bryan Danielson in the finals of the World Title Eliminator Tournament at Full Gear 2021.
If there is anything that could ease this animous, it would be a championship match against Page. These two facing off would make for an interesting clash, as much of Page’s signature moves — specifically, the Deadeye and the Buckshot Lariat — play right into the well-established cracks in “The Redeemer’s” formidable armor.
Plus, AEW has built Miro up as such a menacing force, many fans would buy the idea of him ending Page’s reign sooner than expected. On the other end, Page getting a win over Miro would significantly boost his still-growing reputation as world champion.
“Powerhouse” Hobbs
Since joining Team Taz in 2020, “Powerhouse” Hobbs has remained on the periphery of title contention, with AEW protecting him just enough to where one winning streak could vault him to the top of the men’s singles contender’s list.
With no obvious contenders for Page, it’s time for Hobbs to get that chance.
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As of Jan. 7, Hobbs is ranked fifth on the men’s contender’s list, so it wouldn’t take much to position him as Page’s next opponent. And, like Miro, he would provide Page with a stout challenge that would further legitimize “Hangman’s” continuing reign while reinforcing Hobbs as someone who could, at the very least, be a viable main eventer for the promotion going forward.