6 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (November 15 - Results & Review)

3. Hangman Page Could Be The Guy Again

Hangman Page
AEW

Hangman Page was so awesome on Dynamite last night that he might have just rescued his programme with Swerve Strickland from the depths of TNA-level cringe and poor logic.

Tony Schiavone attempted to conduct an interview between the two men before hurriedly getting out of there. They weren't allowed to touch one another, but something was bound to happen. In a promo so incredible that it woke up the entire building, Hangman Page sold fans on the upcoming Texas Death match and perhaps even the full rehabilitation of his World Champion credentials. He called Swerve a coward and a dumbass for daring to enter his home, delivering his point with a furious conviction, before saying that Prince Nana is the sort of person who buys his weed from a high school student. Page then said he'd beat Nana up and steal his weed. This line was quietly brilliant and important.

Fans have related to the anxious component of Page's character, but Hanger can lean a bit too much into it. How many personal crises can one person have?

A lot, writing subjectively, but do too much of it in a fictional context, and the heft is lost. Page also connected with fans because he is a badass with an action movie-level zinger in him.

His work in the traditional mould works wonderfully, and the fans in Ontario went banana over the visual of Page roasting a bone with one foot draped on top of Nana's battered body.

Dressed all in black, like a real badass, this was the time to do it - the go-home promo before the babyface's bloody vengeance - but a shift to this more trad-leaning character could well be the move

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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!