The Hangman Bleeds - R.A. Young - July 9, 2024
The Hangman Bleeds
I know that not everyone reading my newsletter is a pro wrestling fan, but bear with me. Let’s pretend that this is a writing exercise. Fair warning, it’s a long one. I’ll be back to normal newslettering soon!
Part I - Cody
In 2019 Cody Rhodes played a key role in the launch of the insurgent wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling. Rhodes, a former star of the market-dominant WWE, was built as the face of the new company while other potential options like Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks willingly took on supporting roles. Cody was a killer promo, given a mic he could make everyone excited for anything. It proved exactly what AEW needed and the promotion signed a major multi-year TV contract just months into its existence. Cody opened that show in AEW’s first television match.
As is the nature of pro wrestling, no one wrestler remains at the top forever. Through late 2019 and into 2020, Cody used the attention he’d built as the face of AEW to build up others. He lost to the first AEW champion Chris Jericho, accepting a stipulation that he’d never challenge for the belt again. He’d then lose to MJF, helping launch one of AEW’s now-biggest stars’ career. It looked like Cody was prepared to settle into a supportive role, like Omega and the Bucks had done for him, when disaster struck. The pandemic started. With an extremely limited roster available and AEW’s future at stake, AEW owner and booker Tony Khan refocused on Cody Rhodes. A new belt, the TNT Championship, was made for Cody to win. Cody became the headliner again — above Jericho, above Omega, above everyone. And it was alongside this unexpected push that an even bigger event occurred. Details remain unclear, but Cody’s professional relationship with Omega and the Young Bucks deteriorated. Their faction The Elite would never group again. A schism had occurred, and going forward there would be two AEW’s in one. There’d be Cody’s AEW, created to carry AEW through the pandemic, and the rest of AEW, continuing the stories interrupted by the pandemic.
In the second half of 2020 Cody remained massively popular, so much so that he was frequently filming other TV shows instead of being on AEW. This mixture of Cody being treated like an alternate face of the company and his frequent absence led to a growing frustrating in AEW’s audience. Fans began referring to Cody’s segments on TV as the “Codyverse,” a separate universe with AEW just for Cody, his friends, and his storylines. It was working, though. Cody helped introduce new talent like Ricky Starks and Eddie Kingston, he built up budding stars like Darby Allin Brodie Lee, and Orange Cassidy, but still the Codyverse frustrations grew. 2021 was when Cody’s universe crashed. The formation of a faction of friends named The Nightmare Family, a feud with QT Marshall’s faction The Factory, and a notorious promo fans recall as when “Cody solved racism” proved a turning point. Cody began to be boo’d in some cities. Fans begged him to turn heel and leave the Codyverse behind, but Cody plowed on with clear intention to “fix” his problems either with the AEW lockerroom or the AEW audience.
In early 2022, Cody chose not to sign a new contract with AEW. His popularity remained unquestionably high, and he was welcomed in WWE as an instant star. At the time, Tony Khan likely believed AEW wouldn’t be hurt by Cody leaving due to big signings like CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, but it was clear to AEW fans that Cody’s departure was a major loss.
Part II - Punk
After seven and a half years of retirement following a controversial exit from WWE, CM Punk returned to wrestling with AEW in August 2021. It would prove to be AEW’s biggest moment as a promotion, with TV ratings skyrocketing, CM Punk’s first PPV having AEW’s highest buy rate, and merchandise sales through the roof. CM Punk said all the right things from a big star joining a promotion during a hot streak. He was there to help build up the next generation of wrestlers. For AEW fans, and AEW management, CM Punk must have seemed like the evolution the promotion needed to reach the next level.
To start, CM Punk seemed to deliver on his promise of elevating young AEW talent. He had outstanding quick feuds with wrestlers including Darby Allin, Daniel Garcia, and Eddie Kingston. His first major feud saw him take his first loss to MJF, followed by the genuinely incredible dog collar rematch at Revolution 2022. Little did fans know that deeper issues tied to CM Punk’s time with AEW had already taken root. Ratings following CM Punk’s debut had tumbled, and much like Cody’s pandemic push Tony Khan had already begun a process to shift the direction of the company and in doing so create AEW’s second internal schism.
Some will say this era of controversy in AEW starts with Colt Cabana, an ex-friend of CM Punk turned enemy. CM Punk allegedly trying to get Colt Cabana fired, which ignited a very public feud between Punk and The Elite, is undeniably important, but not the start. The start is Tony Khan’s decision to make CM Punk AEW’s next world champion. CM Punk would win the championship from Elite member “Hangman” Adam Page in May 2022, but fans could see its inevitability long before the belt actually changed hands. Hangman’s reign as champion, lasting just six months, was undercooked from the start. Despite a major program with Bryan Danielson, Hangman was not given the same opportunities as previous champions. He was not featured week-to-week, he was not allowed opportunities to deliver big promos, and he was not advertised as one of AEW’s top wrestlers the entirety of his run. CM Punk was. While it’s impossible to say when Tony Khan decided CM Punk would be the next champion, Hangman was booked like Punk had been crowned even before Hangman won the belt from Kenny Omega in November 2021.
What happened after CM Punk won the AEW championship the first time is now the stuff of legend. Punk would go on to injure himself weeks later diving into the crowd, leading to Jon Moxley holding the interim title. Once healed, CM Punk was quickly pushed back into the championship picture and won back the title in September 2022 during the All Out PPV. He would injure himself during the match, and later started a fight with the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega backstage. The Elite were punished for the fight, kept off AEW programming for months. CM Punk would receive no punishment. After healing, Punk would go on to claim his own “Real World Championship” which he’d defend on a new show, Collision, he was allowed to book and run all on his own. Less than three months after Collision’s start, CM Punk started a fight with Jack Perry backstage before the All In PPV. He’d be fired soon thereafter for allegedly threatening Tony Khan himself during the altercation.
Part III - Danielson
Bryan Danielson arrived nearly alongside CM Punk in 2021 and played a key role in AEW reaching the heights it did at the time. Despite that, Danielson has played a much more understated role in AEW. Unlike Punk, Danielson entered AEW stating that he was hunting championships. In practice, the roles proved reversed. Danielson has played whatever role Tony Khan needed him to in the moment. He’s feuded with and put over nearly all of AEW’s upper card. He’s lost to Hangman Adam Page, Jon Moxley, Chris Jericho, MJF, Christian Cage, Eddie Kingston, Kazuchika Okada, Zack Sabre Jr., and Will Ospreay at pivotal moments in their respective pushes. Hes’ lost every championship match he’s had in AEW. He’s even gone public stating that he doesn’t want a championship, and Tony Khan has happily obliged up to this point.
Danielson is currently on the path to semi-retirement. His current contract with AEW ends in late 2024, sometime around September, and while he has said he plans to continue wrestling he intends to go from week-to-week to intermittent appearances. He promised his daughter as much. This is the end of a very special era in AEW, and Danielson’s role in keeping AEW popular and successful can’t be denied.
It’s now July, so Danielson has just a few months left of full-time work in AEW. Reports have indicated that Tony Khan wants to celebrate Danielson’s final time on a full-time contract in a big way. The details of those plans are unclear, however. What is clear is that Danielson hasn’t been booked any different than through the rest of his AEW career in recent months. In April he feuded against the Don Callis Family, in may he went to war with The Elite in an Anarchy in the Arena match, and in June he feuded with individuals from Mexico and Japan for AEW’s Forbidden Door PPV. If he’s going to transition to a big push, it has to happen soon.
That brings us to Bryan Danielson’s current storyline. He’s participating in the Owen Hart Foundation’s 2024 tournament. If he wins this tournament, he gets a World Championship shot against current champion Swerve Strickland. Bryan is one victory away from winning the tournament and getting to main event AEW’s biggest event of the year, All In in England’s Wembley Stadium. Danielson has some history with Swerve, and Swerve himself has said he wants another match against Danielson, but little story has been invested into a potential meeting of the pair. It would undeniably be a big match given both men’s popularity.
Danielson’s final tournament match is against Hangman Adam Page.
Part IV: Hangman
After years struggling in the independent scene, Hangman Adam Page joined NJPW’s star-making heel faction Bullet Club under the leadership of Kenny Omega in 2016. Page grew close with Omega and the Young Bucks during this time, touring Japan and doing recordings of the Young Bucks’ Youtube series Being The Elite. Yet while Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, and Cody grew in popularity, Hangman struggled to get as much attention. Hangman languished somewhat during this time, mostly taking losses to names like Dalton Castle and Jay Lethal in Roh while filling out multi-man teams in NJPW. In 2018, that changed, with Hangman beating opponents including Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega (amid a Bullet Club civil war). He earned a slot in NJPW’s 2018 G1 tournament off of his hard work, and his performance there likely earned him a match in the pre-AEW ROH show All In. Some might argue Hangman’s eventual signing to AEW was simply The Elite hiring a friend, but The Elite clearly saw something in Hangman even as he struggled as an incomplete wrestler.
In 2019, Hangman left NJPW alongside the rest of The Elite to be one of AEW’s first signings. It’s a common belief that Page’s eventual championship reign was planned out from day one. Anyone watching AEW during these early months would be hard-pressed to disagree. Hangman was pushed early and pushed hard. He won the battle royale at AEW’s inaugural event, Double or Nothing 2019. He battled Chris Jericho to be the first AEW World Championship in the main event of All Out 2019. A storyline regarding Hangman’s drinking problems lay at the heart of his AEW Tag Team Championship run with Kenny Omega. That first year of AEW saw Hangman prove all critics wrong. Hangman Adam Page was a star in the making, and AEW had every intention of making his star grow. That confidence in Hangman ultimately proved shakier than first thought, though.
Hangman’s initial push through 2019 and most of 2020 was likely plotted out by The Elite itself, the original bookers of AEW. After Hangman’s tag team with Kenny Omega ended explosively in September 2020, however, then and now booker Tony Khan’s support of Hangman became dubious. In what should have been a triumphant build for Hangman over the next year, he was instead booked against struggling factions including the Hardy Family Office and Team Taz. He was kept in an on-again, off-again relationship with a Dark Order that was given no TV time other than when Hangman was involved. Few would have guessed he would be the next AEW champion, if not for his story with then-champion Kenny Omega being rooted in AEW lore. The audience would not accept anyone but Hangman defeating Kenny for the championship. In November 2021, just a few months after both CM Punk and Bryan Danielson signed with AEW, the spotlight came back to Hangman. Omega lost to Hangman after a lightning quick push in November 2021. There’s some speculation that the transition was rushed due to Kenny Omega’s cascading injuries. Some even think Tony Khan had quietly planned to canceled Hangman’s championship run in favor of CM Punk, but Omega’s injuries kept him from holding the belt through to 2022’s planned new Summer of Punk. What is clear is that despite becoming AEW world champion, Hangman wouldn’t be presented as face of AEW for the duration of his reign.
Between November 2021 and May 2022, when Hangman won and then lost his belt to CM Punk, Hangman feuded with Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole. He also had brief-yet-exceptional battles with Lance Archer and Konosuke Takeshita. This run is beloved among AEW’s biggest fans of in-ring action. That might seem contradictory, given it’s been described as poor treatment of Hangman, yet few dedicated AEW fans would argue the point. Hangman was given massive matches, and overperformed in them, but when it came to presentation was left wayside. To repeat, Hangman wasn’t typically featured on TV week to week, he was given scant opportunities to cut a promo or speak to the audience, and marketing largely prioritized CM Punk, Adam Cole, MJF, and Bryan Danielson. Hangman would eventually say, post-championship, that the champion needs to be on TV every week. To add insult to injury, controversy roiled the end of Hangman’s championship over comments he made denigrating CM Punk’s support of workers in a promo between the two. It was the best of times, it was the worst.
There is a silver lining to Hangman’s story, however. His championship run left him with a chip on his shoulder. Between June 2022 and now, Hangman has been on an absolute tear. His relationship with the Dark Order ended in a spectacular feud against The Elite. He gave Jon Moxley a five-month, four-match feud that could easily be considered his best in his time with AEW. He rejoined with the Young Bucks for a run as the AEW trios champions. And, perhaps most importantly, he started a feud with Swerve Strickland that helped launch the current world champion into his ongoing massive success. The lessons of Hangman’s championship run are frequently cited regarding what AEW is doing differently with Swerve, what AEW has done to continue Swerve’s success.
Following the Revolution 2024 PPV, where Hangman “prevented” Swerve from winning the championship, Hangman went on a hiatus for undisclosed reasons. He’s since returned after four months away. He has delivered a singular message with his return — that he seeks to end Swerve’s championship. He’ll face Bryan Danielson tomorrow in the final of the Owen Hart Foundation tournament and if he wins, he’ll get his chance at All In 2024.
Part V: Money
To say who best represents AEW, its values, its audience, or its goals would be a fool’s errand. Pro wrestling is at its heart a mix of drama, physicality, and most importantly change. The wrestling of today is nothing like what was being delivered even a decade ago. The wrestlers of today are nothing like their predecessors, and the search is already underway to find the wrestlers of tomorrow. Individual wrestlers, now more than ever, strive to make every match artistically unique, and will transform their entire character and career year-to-year to try and keep their work fresh and compelling. Also, all of that is bullshit. It’s what I love to pretend is true about wrestling. I’d love if it were true. But it’s not. The only thing that matters in wrestling one thing — money.
Let’s finally ask the question that this entire overly long newsletter has been building to: who deserves to wrestle Swerve Strickland at All In 2024? Let’s follow that up with some equally important questions that I spent way too much time introducing but have saved to ask until now: Did Cody Rhodes deserve everything Tony Khan gave him? Did CM Punk deserve everything Tony Khan gave him? Does Bryan Danielson, bless his heart, deserve to be given the main event at All In? For the sake of money, the answer is absolutely yes. Cody Rhodes was hugely successful for AEW and its partner TNT through 2020 and 2021, even as fans turned on him. CM Punk was remarkably profitable for AEW through his controversies and eventual firing. Bryan Danielson very likely would be a more profitable choice than Hangman for All In. Despite a clear love of wrestling that may imply otherwise, AEW owner and booker Tony Khan biggest booking and business decisions have been driven by money.
Bryan Danielson wrestles Hangman Adam Page tomorrow in the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. The winner will face Swerve Strickland in the main event at All In. Either match would be exceptional and well worth watching and enjoying. And with over six weeks before All In, both matches would undoubtedly have robust builds filled with story, promos, and action. But one match would clearly be chosen for the money. And it’s hard to bet against the money.
If Tony Khan chose Swerve vs. Hangman instead of Swerve vs. Bryan Danielson, that would mean a dramatic shift in his views on the business and what matters most.
Part 6: Hope
If needed, I could go into great detail about various pieces of evidence indicating Hangman is being chosen instead of Danielson for All In 2024. Hangman and Swerve are being teased for Blood and Guts. AEW Dynamite will be touring the south, including Hangman’s hometown in Virginia, between now and All In, instead of Danielon’s pacific northwest. It’s all interesting, but it’s besides the point. What matters most, what I’ve spent so much time trying to describe through the stories of Cody, Punk, Danielson, and Hangman, is that I believe, I hope, AEW has grown to become a company that makes these kinds of choices for the right reasons — now and going forward.
The evidence at hand only reinforces an idea has made this all worth writing in the first place. In many ways, Hangman’s journey has been that of AEW’s dedicated fanbase. Sometimes it feels like Tony Khan’s, and so AEW’s, priorities have lain elsewhere, but that’s never stopped the collective effort to make AEW a place where the love and art of wrestling is celebrated. This moment feels like a change has been made, like the rules are being broken. Perhaps Tony Khan is simply exhausted with putting profit above all else (a hilarious sentiment given Khan is a billionaire’s son, while he’s currently negotiating a major new contract with WB). Perhaps he’s been hurt too many times by wrestlers he trusted but were only using him. Perhaps he’s learned to love wrestling again, after losing his way. If Hangman Adam Page wins his match against Bryan Danielson tomorrow, it may or may not be the wrong choice, but it will be for the right reasons. And that, I believe, is what AEW fans want more than anything.
Is that so meaningful a conclusion that it necessitated all this writing? I believe so. Perhaps Hangman will lose tomorrow and I’ll be embarrassed to have thought differently. For now, I believe it was worth writing, before the match, if only because it lends more weight to the deeper idea behind Tony Khan choosing Hangman. It’d be easy to say so after he’d already chosen Hangman. Right now it feels something like hope. It feels good to want AEW to be more than what it has been in the past, even if I’m ultimately wrong.
Thanks everyone for reading, if you’ve made it this far! That’s a lot of wrassle talk to churn through! You’re awesome if you read it all! I love you! Talk to you soon. — Rory