The One Massive Thing AEW Have NEVER Done...UNTIL NOW
AEW
Page's matches have been spectacular in the main, but a lack of suspense around the results has deflated the drama in ways the work simply hasn't deserved.
Battles with Bryan Danielson were instant classics, but after 90 minutes of pulsating professional wrestling, everything was still exactly where it had been before. A Texas Deathmatch against Lance Archer hugely overdelivered on even the highest of expectations, but absolutely nobody thought Dan Lambert's man had a chance in hell of holding gold. The same - unfortunately - could be said for Adam Cole, but this was substantially more problematic considering the length of their rivalry and the effort made to get Cole ready.
The former NXT Champion racing through the rankings didn't feel fake, but any sense of doubt did. Revolution 2022's headline attraction wasn't their title showdown in the final spot of the night, but an epic CM Punk/MJF dog collar bloodbath in the middle of the card. As he'd done at All Out against Darby Allin and arguably at Full Gear against Eddie Kingston, Punk drew the house (then tore it down) underneath whatever went on last. Punk Vs Page was beginning to feel like an unavoidable crescendo before it was even formalised, further hampering Hangman's attempts to not feel like a Champion waiting to lose.
With the match now finally booked, this niggling reality will categorically come to an end.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years.
As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast.
He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.
