7 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (23 Feb)

4. Hangman Fires Up

Hangman Page
AEW

A fantastic, fiery 'Hangman' Adam Page promo (the likes of which reminds you of how great he is at this) came following the battle royale.

Having run out to save John Silver and get revenge on reDRagon for a previous ambush, Page let rip on Adam Cole, who tried to ambush him before being pulled out of the ring pre-Buckshot. Like Cole had done the previous week, Page briefly looked to the past. Though he'd become a World Champion everywhere he'd landed since entering the business as a "smug, entitled prick" in 2008, he had scampered into the safe arms of his friends in AEW, having seen his world crumble around him in WWE. That same fate awaited him in AEW, claimed Page. Rather than the AEW World Title, Cole is only edging closer to a six-foot hole in the ground that "the better Adam" was going to lay him down in, the body landing with a "Boom" when it hits the deck.

It's not that Page needed this thunderclap, given that he just outdid the scariest man in AEW in a Texas Deathmatch, but it was welcome regardless. Adam vs. Adam is deeply-rooted and personal. Even removing the wider Elite-adjacent ramifications, it should feel like more than two men scrapping over a belt because that's what it is.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.