The One Thing Everybody Gets Wrong About Wrestling

Hangman Page Kenny Omega the Young Bucks
AEW

Remember Kenny Omega and Hangman Page post-Full Gear. Omega had just lost to Jon Moxley, decisively, while PAC negated Hangman's win by settling their trilogy on the following Dynamite. Kenny Omega was the guy who wasn't the same star he was in NJPW, while Page was the bland loser babyface failure. But together - just about - they were driven by the consequence of failure to take a run at the tag team division. They reached the pinnacle through their respective brilliance and maintained it through a refined chemistry and renewed bond, which itself has created tension within the Elite stable. The gravity of a loss is embraced, not hidden through carny mechanisms like the f*ck finish. This is what separates the loss from the burial.

AEW has proven itself adept at rehabilitating talent after a major loss. So much of the discourse ahead of Full Gear centred on the Cody Vs. Chris Jericho AEW World Title match: had AEW booked themselves into a corner?

Cody couldn't lose; he was the on-fire top babyface who cried in his go-home promo and afforded himself just one shot. It would bury him. Chris Jericho couldn't lose in his first defence; he was there to legitimise the title and use his star power to make the midcard in the crucial formative stages of the TNT run. AEW had steadfastly - and loudly - proclaimed that they weren't going to f*ck the fans with carny f*ck finishes.

And, when Cody lost, it was done so very deftly.

CONT'D...(5 of 6)

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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!