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AEW's Hangman Page Diagnosed With Concussion After Being Pulled From Dynamite
Oct 19, 2022
AEW announced Tuesday night that "Hangman" Adam Page suffered a concussion during his AEW World Championship match against Jon Moxley on Dynamite.
In a statement, AEW also noted that Page had been released from a Cincinnati trauma center and placed in the company's concussion protocol:
The injury occurred late in the title match between Moxley and Page when Mox hit Hangman with a stiff lariat. Page flipped to sell the move but appeared to land on his head and neck when falling to the canvas.
After checking on Page, the referee called for the bell and awarded the win to Moxley via stoppage. Page was subsequently removed from the ring and taken away on a stretcher.
Several wrestlers showed their support for Page after watching the scary incident, including MJF, who broke his heel character to express hope that Hangman would be okay:
In what could have been an ad-libbed segment after the match ended abruptly, MJF confronted Moxley and announced his intention to cash in his Casino Ladder Match chip for an AEW world title match at Full Gear on November 19.
As for Page, Tuesday marked his first AEW World Championship match since Double or Nothing in May, which saw him drop the title to CM Punk.
The journey toward becoming AEW world champion started with the company's formation for Page, as he was in the inaugural AEW World Championship match, losing to Chris Jericho.
After falling short on a few occasions and switching focus from time to time, Page finally became AEW world champion at last year's Full Gear when he defeated former tag team partner Kenny Omega.
It was among the biggest feel-good moments in the history of AEW and helped further cement Page's status as one of the promotion's top stars.
That star power was on display in what was an entertaining and hard-hitting match with Moxley on Tuesday. However, it ended in a manner that no one wanted to see.
Page is now on the road to recovery, and while it isn't yet known when he will be back in the ring, it seems he was fortunate to avoid an even more serious injury.
Seth Rollins Felt He Was 'Placeholder' for Roman Reigns; 'No Animosity' with Moxley
Sep 30, 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 05: WWE Superstar Seth Rollins attends the WWE Superstars For Hope Reception on April 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Brian Ach/Getty Images for WWE)
Seth Rollins said Friday that although he feels like he plays "second fiddle" to Roman Reigns, he has a "great" relationship with him, as well as his other former Shield stablemate, Jon Moxley.
During an interview with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport (beginning at the six-minute mark), Rollins discussed his belief that WWE has always been behind Reigns more than him as the face of the company:
Rollins mentioned cashing in his Money in the Bank contract during the main event of WrestleMania 31 between Reigns and Brock Lesnar in 2015. Rollins won the WWE Championship, but said he always felt he was a "placeholder" until Reigns was ready to take that spot.
When asked if he feels he is any closer now to being the top guy in WWE than he was in 2015, Rollins admitted that he didn't know and opined that it may never happen because he "[lives] in the Roman era."
Despite his desire to be in the top spot, Rollins made it clear that he holds no ill will toward Reigns, noting that they have a "very healthy competition," and always have, dating back to their time in The Shield with Moxley, who was then known as Dean Ambrose.
Moxley left WWE for AEW in 2019, and he has firmly established himself as one of AEW's biggest stars, holding the AEW World Championship a record three times.
Addressing his relationship with Moxley at the 9:40 mark of the interview, Rollins admitted that he doesn't see or speak to Moxley as much as he used to, but like his relationship with Reigns, he has no animosity toward him and considers him a friend.
Rollins noted that Moxley is more inclined to speak with someone in person than he is to text them, and he divulged that the last time he was in Cincinnati, he visited with Mox.
Perhaps no stable in pro wrestling history produced three stars as big as Rollins, Reigns and Moxley, who are all multi-time world champions and future Hall of Famers.
Reigns and Moxley are world champions right now in WWE and AEW, respectively, and it can be argued that Rollins is the best all-around performer in wrestling right now thanks to his heel persona and in-ring work.
Rollins is still waiting in the wings until he gets his opportunity to be world champion again, but based on the fact that Triple H made him the first-ever NXT champion, it seems likely that the new head of WWE creative will give him a shot at the top in the future.
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Jon Moxley Is Right Choice to be Next AEW World Champion
Sep 8, 2022
Jon Moxley set the tone for All Elite Wrestling the moment he stomped through the crowd, hit the ring and laid out both Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega at the company's inaugural show, Double or Nothing in May 2019.
And following Tony Khan's announcement that the AEW World Championship is being vacated and he is booking a tournament to crown the next titleholder, it is only right that Moxley sets the tone for the promotion again.
The Grand Slam Tournament of Champions will conclude on September 21 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York, and despite the presence of former holders Chris Jericho, Bryan Danielson and Hangman Page, as well as young pillars Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara, it is The Death Rider who should emerge as the first three-time AEW world champion.
His promo Wednesday night on Dynamite, in which he refocused the attention of the company on its world title and laid out the importance of that championship to both himself and the AEW roster, is just one example of why.
Quiet Consistency
The thoughts of "Moxley" and "quiet" going hand-in-hand may be ludicrous given his outspoken promos of late, but the former champ has consistently starred for AEW without the demand for attention other stars in his position typically do.
While not everyone favors his in-ring style, there is no denying he has put in the effort that a top spot in any promotion demands. He has been a workhorse, battling everyone from top AEW attractions like Kenny Omega and CM Punk to Forbidden Door arrivals like Hiroshi Tanahashi and Minoru Suzuki.
Moxley has repeatedly shown an ability to work with different stars of varying backgrounds and remains over with fans.
It is that connection with the audience and his ability to elicit emotion that keeps him as a viable option for Khan in situations like the one the owner and general manager of AEW currently finds himself in.
He is a motivator, a captivating presence. He has been a face of the company since day one, and the fans respect the effort he puts in between the ropes and his ass-kicking attitude.
He is unfazed by the noise around him and has the innate ability to refocus the entire show to the topic at hand, as fans witnessed Wednesday night on Dynamite.
It is that consistency and the unbreakable bond with the audience that makes Moxley an easy choice for champion. Future storytelling is just another reason.
The Future
MJF has a world championship opportunity guaranteed to him by way of his victory in the Casino ladder match at All Out.
Still clearly a top heel, and one of the last great bad guys in the business, his eventual world title victory should come against a beloved babyface.
Considering his first loss in AEW came at the hands of Moxley, what better opponent for the Long Island loudmouth to defeat than the anti-authority rebel babyface who dealt him his first defeat?
If MJF is not in Khan's plans for the world title, we must look further ahead at the potential storytelling options at the owner's disposal.
Assuming Punk remains with the company following the events of Sunday night, which led to his reported suspension, a showdown with Moxley makes sense.
They just clashed at All Out, with The Best in the World becoming the first person to pin Moxley clean in the center of the ring since Lance Archer on July 22, 2021.
Add to that the reality-based creative that exists, with Moxley reminding Punk he has twice had to pick up the ball that the Chicago native has dropped, and you have an engaging and captivating storyline that attracts attention and backs up a star-studded matchup.
There are many directions Khan and Moxley can go in the future that benefit AEW, whether it be the elevation of young stars such as MJF or as a star attraction for higher-profile matches against his fellow industry giants.
The argument can be made that Chris Jericho provides the same consistency and level of star power, but it is the attitude and swagger that comes with Moxley that separates him from the future Hall of Famer in that regard.
Injury concerns for Danielson and Guevara and Allin's relative inexperience in consistent main event settings create too many questions for them to be truly considered for the position.
Taking that into consideration, and looking at what Moxley did as a more driven and determined interim world champion leading into All Out, the unapologetic hellraiser is the right choice to close out Dynamite Grand Slam in two weeks and again stand tall as the world champion and the quiet constant of AEW.
"This is the time to be a legend," Moxley said Wednesday night, as an exclamation point on the best promo of his career.
He is already on his way to that distinction. Another world title win in the darkest of days in AEW's young career would expedite the process.
