10 Best Promos In AEW History
9. “Hangman” Adam Page Stands Up For Worker’s Rights
A superb in-ring storyteller, “Hangman” Adam Page is also a master of the sitdown interview. Opposite Jim Ross or Tony Schiavone, Page can convey emotion, drive a plot forward, develop his character and offer memorable soundbites like, “I know that inside I'm just like everyone else but... I feel like head to toe I'm just full of poison." However, in a company full of superlative talkers, Page isn’t really celebrated for his in-ring promos. His controversial effort opposite CM Punk was his best yet.
This will be a divisive entry, given that Page apparently took the segment off its agreed trajectory. Many think, perhaps rightly, he should never have cut this promo at all. At the time, Page’s allusions to Punk being a bad guy seemed to evoke the themes of Punk's feuds with Eddie Kingston and MJF.
“The Mad King” had said no one in the back wants Punk here. “The Salt Of The Earth" told us Punk wasn’t the nice guy he pretends to be. What weren’t the fans seeing? Was this part of a slow burn build to a Punk heel turn?
In hindsight, this promo is a fascinating document. When Page says, “I don’t hate you, I pity you,” the emotion, his venomous tone, feels real. Maybe it was. Whatever you make of it, it would be hard to find many other promos that have had a similarly seismic impact on a wrestling company.