10 Wrestling Matches That Buried Top Stars ON PURPOSE

8. Hangman Page Vs. Brian Cage - AEW Dynamite, April 22, 2021

Bray Wyatt John Cena
AEW

This was such a great, deft match-slash-angle.

The shocking result was booked to remove Hangman Page from the #1 ranked position to enrich his eventual clash with World Champion Kenny Omega. The Anxious Millennial Cowboy wasn't mentally prepared. In a sublime detail, this squash match unfolded just weeks after Alex Marvez had asked Page about a prospective clash with the Cleaner. The very thought had shaken him, but in the sort of nuanced booking with which AEW has emerged as the best promotion on the planet, you were never asked to pity him.

Team Taz battered him before the bell on August 22, and in an audacious layout, Brian Cage took virtually all of it. A crunching procession of dangerous-feeling power spots left Page with no answer. He ate sh*t in a match that developed a gutting feeling the more his chances of mounting a comeback receded. Again, AEW's established match format elsewhere informed the power of the booking.

Page wasn't mutilated here just to reheat Brian Cage, though that was a quietly crucial byproduct. Page's sudden, transparent climb - Cezar Bononi, respectfully, does not constitute strong competition - was elegantly revealed to be just that.

To dethrone Omega, Page's confidence must be fully, genuinely restored.

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!