PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 02: Referee Aubrey Edwards raises the hand of Hangman Adam Page after Page defeated Juice Robinson during AEW Dynamite on October 2, 2024, at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
When All Elite Wrestling held All In: Texas, it marked a turning point in the company’s six-year history, creating new champions and opening a new chapter for AEW. Standing tall in the main event was Hangman Adam Page, who captured the AEW World Championship from Jon Moxley and the Death Riders, delivering one of AEW’s signature moments.
From the early days when AEW was “just three letters in a group chat” to now leading the way as a two-time world champion, Page has grown alongside the promotion.
In this conversation with Forbes, ahead of his match with Powerhouse Hobbs at Blood & Guts on the Nov. 12 episode of Dynamite, Page reflects on his journey from chasing the inaugural AEW title to finally holding the company’s top prize once again. He discusses his title reign, the lessons learned from his rivalry with Swerve Strickland, his relationship with fans, and what it means to evolve as a performer on wrestling’s biggest stage.
Rob Wolkenbrod: From chasing the inaugural AEW title win to finally winning your first world championship, and now standing in front of a stadium at All In: Texas, how do you reflect on that full journey—and what emotions from that night still stay with you?
Adam Page: Yeah, it’s an incredible feeling getting to main event All In and win the Men’s World Championship there. The feeling is really one of pride, not just for what I’ve accomplished personally but for everything AEW has managed to achieve in six years. I’ve watched it grow since it was just three letters in a group chat, just an idea, and now it’s a wrestling company that has lasted more than six years, one that I’ve become world champion of twice. I feel an even greater sense of pride in all of that than just my own accomplishments. That’s what I felt that night.
Rob Wolkenbrod: You’ve spoken before about the weight of being AEW’s champion. On a personal level, what keeps you grounded through the expectations that come with being “the face” of the company?
Adam Page: I tried pretty hard to not concern myself too much with things like the face of the company or this or that. I try to do my job to the best of my ability, and I know that as World Champion, that job does change a little bit, but it’s still the same. I show up to work, I wrestle, I talk, whatever it may be, I do the best that I can. I’m not overly concerned or worried about meeting someone else’s or a stranger’s expectations of me. I’m ultimately concerned with trying to meet or surpass the expectations I have of myself. And if I can do that, then I’m happy with it.
Wolkenbrod: Do you feel like you’ve met or exceeded those expectations you’ve had of yourself?
Page: Oh yeah. Continually.
Wolkenbrod: That night at All In also felt like another chapter in your long story with Swerve Strickland. Even though he’s not around right now, what has Swerve meant to this reign, and to your evolution as a champion and performer?
Page: There have been times that I wished everything that happened between him and me had never happened, and I guess I would still say that now. But I can’t change that. That’s the past. All I can do is try to work on what today and tomorrow are going to look like. And I do think that everything the two of us went through together, in some weird way, prepared me more for this moment at All In and for the days and months that came afterward.
Wolkenbrod: Beyond the matches themselves, you’ve had your share of non-wrestling character moments over the years, from burning down Swerve’s childhood home to dressing as Tony Schiavone to fight Samoa Joe. How much fun do you have creating those moments, and what goes into making each one feel unique?
Page: I think back about what made me a fan of wrestling in the beginning, and it was always things like that. The matches are great, but it’s those kinds of moments that you can’t just manufacture, the things that really stick with you. That’s something I’ve tried really hard to create throughout my career, and I’ve always felt it might be the most important thing I could do.
I really did enjoy doing the bit where I was Tony Schiavone for Halloween. I told Samoa Joe I was coming for him, and I knew Halloween was coming up. I think wrestling, no matter how serious it gets, shouldn’t take itself too seriously and should still be a little bit fun. I loved getting the chance to do that. I think I fooled him—and a lot of people, actually, unintentionally—but it was really fun, and my beard has grown back now, so I’m happy about that.
Wolkenbrod: Have you taken inspiration from your time as a fan?
Page: No, not specific inspiration. I try to leave the work that others have done alone. The inspiration, more or less, is the creativity and uniqueness of each individual scenario. If I’m trying to be inspired by others because of what they were or what they did, I don’t feel like that’s creative. I don’t think that’s very inspired. I just try to take that same attitude with what I do and challenge myself to be creative.
Wolkenbrod: Earlier this year in an interview, you mentioned that fans often believed in a “better version” of you than you did yourself. Do you finally see that version now, or is that internal struggle still part of who Hangman is?
Page: Probably always will be to some extent. I think maybe some fans still see more in me than I see in myself. But I do think that, at least professionally, I’m a more fully realized version, a more ideal version, of who I can be in life right now.
Wolkenbrod: With your character’s past, how do you reconcile everything he’s done with the person he’s become—this leading, crowd-supported figure fans rally behind today?
Page: I did a lot of awful things over the past few years, and a lot of our fans still supported me in some way. Whether I could hear them in the arenas or see them online, I could feel that. I think they knew there was a better version of me inside. And I think they understood that even if something I did seemed purely evil from the outside, they could see where it came from. That doesn’t excuse it, and I’ve tried not to let it excuse itself for me, but I think they got it. They understood, and they didn’t let it change their opinion of me too much, and I really appreciate that.
Wolkenbrod: As one of AEW’s original pillars, how do you see your role in shaping where the company goes next—and what kind of legacy do you hope to leave behind as its world champion?
Page: I want to keep this thing for as long as I can. I want to defend it as much as I can. That’s the goal, right? You come to work, you wrestle, and you win your matches. I want to do that for as long as I can. As for what kind of legacy I’d want to leave in wrestling, it’s probably too early to think about that. And honestly, I don’t know that I even believe in that kind of thing anyway. I don’t know how I’d want anyone who’s watched wrestling to remember me. I’m just taking things one day at a time and trying to do what I can with what I’ve got.
Wolkenbrod: What have you taken away from facing Kyle Fletcher and Samoa Joe in this title reign?
Page: I’m beaten up; I’ve taken that away [laughs]. But you know, Kyle Fletcher—I challenged him to meet me where I was, to meet me one-on-one without any help from Don Callis or the Don Callis Family. A lot of people have talked about how young he is and how, in many ways, he’ll have to help carry the future of this company as the years go by. I wanted to test him and see where he was at, just him by himself, without help. And he was a lot better than maybe I even gave him credit for. I hadn’t been hurt like that in a while, and I hadn’t been taken that close to the edge in a match in a long time. He’s an incredible athlete, and I think that if he ever manages to get himself away from Don Callis, it’ll mean something very important for AEW’s future.
Wolkenbrod: Looking ahead to Blood & Guts, you’ll face Powerhouse Hobbs in a Falls Count Anywhere match. What are your thoughts on Hobbs as an opponent, and how do you prepare for the chaos of an anything-goes match before you rematch Samoa Joe next week?
Page: I have a match against powerhouse Will Hobbs Wednesday on Dynamite, and it is Falls Count Anywhere. Hobbs is a large, sturdy individual. It takes a lot to take down somebody like Hobbs. I’m not just going to be able to hoist him up and throw him and be done with him. It does take a lot, and we have to chip away at him. I’m going to chip away at him, maybe not just in the first ring but maybe the second ring, maybe on the floor, maybe up at the top of the stage, maybe in the crowd, maybe down the street at Stamey’s. It’s Falls Count Anywhere, so I can beat him anywhere I want. I am looking forward to the opportunity to do that.
As far as preparing me for this defense against Samoa Joe again, I know this time around Samoa Joe is becoming very much what he fought the Death Riders against for so long. I feel like he may try to rely on Will Hobbs and Shibata to have his back in this rematch. So, I might have the chance to put Hobbs down and away for good and have him out of the picture for this title match, or at least get an understanding of where he’s at as a wrestler right now, so that if and when he does show up, I’ll have a better handle on how to deal with it.
The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.