10 Secret AEW Storyline Details Hiding In Plain Sight

7. Kenny Omega Deftly Foreshadows Heel Turn Throughout 2020

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AEW

Without uttering a single, explicit word, Kenny Omega conveyed through the language of pro wrestling that he was the real villain of Hangman Page's quest.

In a blistering Iron Man match opposite PAC in February 2020, Omega's arsenal had deserted him. PAC had devised a wicked poison 'rana counter to the One-Winged Angel, but Omega was driven into a comeback inspired by old partner Kota Ibushi, whose Kamigoye knee strike he used to finally incapacitate PAC long enough to set-up the OWA.

Not anything from Hangman's arsenal.

Ahead of Revolution, Omega was always quick to calm Page down when the Elite threatened to implode, insistent that the Bucks had retained their support of his current partner. He communicated to Page that the Bucks weren't out to put him down. Then, when the Bucks put him down, by using the Golden Lovers finish at the PPV, he reacted with fury.

Omega reduced what he considered Page's protests as nothing and in doing so, marginalised him from the core of the group. He patronised Page, he gaslighted Page, and only when Page was at his lowest - having been manipulated into f*cking the Bucks over by two men he thought were a more likeminded support network - did Omega scrape Page, of no use to him now, from the shoe.

The storyline worked as well as it did because it was actually even more textured than that...

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!