Thread by @ChrisBrosnahan

So, for the non (or lapsed) wrestling fans, I'm going to explain why this guy is at the centre of the greatest, most agonising, most wholesome pro-wrestling story in years. And it's a story that's about to hit the home stretch.

This is Hangman Adam Page. He's an AEW wrestler, and has been part of a slow-burn storyline since their first show. And it's all about him believing in himself.

You can see him here, back in his days in Japan (with the noose around his neck). This was part of the legendary wrestling faction 'Bullet Club'. The other three relevant characters - the two with bandanas (the Young Bucks) and the centre guy with the hair (Kenny Omega).

Kenny Omega is a big deal. Championships everywhere. The Young Bucks are his best friends, and arguably the best tag team in the world. They'd be in Omega's corner in major matches (both as heel/bad guys and face/good guys) while in Japan.

The Young Bucks befriended Hangman Adam Page years ago. And brought him into Bullet Club. He was young and inexperienced, but clearly had enormous potential.

The group (along with some other close friends) became known as The Elite. And travelled the world together.

This led to one of the biggest real-life gamble in recent years in wrestling - the formation of All Elite Wrestling in the US. It's become a big deal.

The match for the first AEW championship ended up being Chris Jericho (legendary wrestler) vs Hangman Adam Page. Page lost, and he took the loss hard.

Here's a key detail. Page asked the Young Bucks to be in his corner for the match, like they did for Kenny Omega's big matches. They said no.

Feeling he'd let everyone down, Hangman told the Young Bucks that he was quitting their group. He needed to get his head straight for a while. They refused to let him.

Feeling like he's let everyone down, Hangman starts drinking. This isn't a bad taste alcoholism story or anything - Page likes a drink, is all. But he's definitely using it to help avoid how he's feeling. This has been a character trait since.

Kenny Omega has also had a few losses that he's taken heart. They're still both part of The Elite and friends, so they form a tag team. It's immediately successful.

Kenny is a tee-totaller and doesn't approve of Page's drinking, but they get over their differences and become tag team champions.

But Hangman's insecurities have still taken hold. He's struggling. He can be charming and funny about it, calling himself the 'Anxious Millennial Cowboy'... but he clearly doesn't believe in himself. And it's becoming a problem.

The Bucks are getting more and more patronising about Page's drinking, and outright telling him that he's letting everyone down. During one interview, they remind him that he was 'nothing but a jobber (loser)' before he got in with them.

Ends up with Omega and Hangman vs The Young Bucks. There's a LOT of bad feeling between all the former friends. It's a great match, which Omega and Hangman win.

But the friendship is irrevocably damaged. The Bucks and Hangman keep arguing and falling out.

In their comedy backstage series, Being The Elite, Hangman drunkenly starts telling other teams how to beat The Bucks. With live censorship when he forgets he's in the shower.

Then the pandemic happens. For a couple of months, due to location, The Bucks and Page aren't on the show. The Bucks return to set up a Stadium Stampede match at a PPV. They're attacked, and Adam Page handsomely runs down an entire football field for the rescue.

For one night, all is right with The Elite. They get their moment. And Adam Page spends a significant amount of the match/brawl chasing people on a horse.

Enter a new team, FTR. They're old friends of Hangman and they're more like him than the Bucks or Omega. They start drinking with him, and he's so desperate for friendship, he doesn't realise they're playing him.

FTR use the truth. They tell Hangman that his friends hate him, which he secretly believes. There's a tournament for the tag titles coming up, and desperate to avoid fighting his friends, Hangman interferes in a match, causing the Young Bucks to lose.

Compounded when FTR reveal they used Hangman's insecurities to manipulate their way into a title shot. And they then defeat Omega and Hangman for the tag team championship.

At his lowest point, Page is interviewed about a rematch. He's trying to pretend everything's okay. They just have to win the rematch. But also says ""I know that inside I'm just like everyone else but... I feel like head to toe I'm just full of poison."

On top of this, The Young Bucks throw Hangman's drink in his face and throw him out of the Elite. All he has left is his tag team with Kenny Omega.

They lose. And at the end of the match, Hangman collapses out of exhaustion. And Omega just lets him fall. Then walks out, disgusted with him.

Hangman's alone. And he brought it all on himself. And on top of that... his former friends seem happier without him.

Not too long after, there's a tournament to determine the next challenger for the world championship. The finals end up being Hangman Adam Page and... Kenny Omega. Page loses. Again.

Now a fully-fledged bad guy, Kenny Omega cheats in his championship match and becomes the AEW champion.

In fact, he's not done there. Omega travels to different wrestling companies winning multiple championships at once. Absolutely dripping in gold, and a cocky, arrogant heel.

Also finally giving into their true selves, The Young Bucks became tag champions, and have become cocky (hilarious) pricks as well. Everyone is doing better without Hangman Adam Page.

Enter... THE DARK ORDER.

The Dark Order were a cult led by the evil Brodie Lee. They recruited and brainwashed people.

The rest of them were funny and a bit hapless, but Brodie Lee kept them all as bad guys. After a faltering start, it was really taking off. They'd target and recruit losers, and wanted Adam Page.

The plan seemed to be Adam Page freeing the Dark Order from Brodie Lee. But then, sadly in all-too-real life, Brodie Lee (Jon Huber) died after a short illness last year.

The Dark Order became, unexpectedly, the most wholesome thing in wrestling in response. Partly, they claimed their new leader was Brodie Lee's son, who was a huge wrestling fan, and clearly has a blast messing around with them.

And seriously, the kid is hilarious. Because the Dark Order were referred to by numbers, he's Negative One.

Both in real life and on TV, The Dark Order has become this loveable group of oddballs who all support each other and help a grieving kid. They do loads of backstage stuff and it's all hilarious.

So... they love Hangman Adam Page. Like, they love him. And they desperately tried to get him to join their cult.

Sorry, they're not a cult. They're just good friends.

They tried everything.

Hangman said he loved them, but he couldn't join them. He's been part of a group before and it didn't work out for him.

But that doesn't mean they can't hang out. And they've all become friends.

Thread broke a bit there - catch up with the next part here.

The best of friends. And Adam Page supports them and makes a point of telling them how well they're doing, especially when they lose.

MEANWHILE... Kenny Omega, now the slimiest, most detestable prick in all of wrestling, has declared he's beaten everyone who means anything in AEW. With no more challenges left, he's leaving to focus on his other championships.

ENTER THE DARK ORDER. Who tell Kenny that there's someone he's forgotten. Someone who they believe can beat him. Someone who they believe can be champion.

Kenny scoffs at the idea. "If you're talking about who I think you're talking about? Even he doesn't believe he deserves to hold this title."

Kenny also points out "I don't think he'd like you speaking for him" and he's right. Hangman confronts them backstage and asks what the hell they're playing at.

What follows is the most wholesome 60 seconds you'll see on TV in the last year or so. Just watch it. It's amazing.

Two years of failure and self-loathing. His friends all gone. Feeling everyone's better off without him. Feeling like he's full of poison. And he's finally told by new friends that they believe in him, it's okay if he fails, and that he deserves this.

And that's where we're up to. An arrogant heel champion who doesn't believe his former best friend is worth anything. And Hangman Adam Page trying to overcome his own insecurities and finally become champion.

God, I love wrestling. I swear to god, no story in TV or media matters more to me than whether Hangman Adam Page can finally be happy.

Thanks @fluff_manu for linking to this great @EffingBoring thread about Kenny Omega's backstory (and love story with Kota Ibushi). It also raises a small point that's worth adding.

Kenny has similar insecurities to Hangman. He was brought in as AEW's star player and had a disappointing first year. He also felt he was letting everyone down. It's part of why he saw some of himself in Hangman.

His disgust with Hangman was partly self-disgust. He gave up on his principles and became a low-down, cheating heel. He cashed in his values for success.

He reverted back to his old bad-guy persona, 'The Cleaner'. And he gave up on his own attempts to be happy and whole. I was as invested in his happiness as Hangman's - but his only route to redemption is a reality check, courtesy of Adam Page lariating his head off.

Another reason I'm mentioning it. If you haven't watched much of Kenny Omega, he has a finishing move that only one person has ever kicked out of. Nobody in AEW has ever kicked out of it. The One Winged Angel. It's certain death.

And Adam Page is going to kick out of it and then win the championship.

(I hope)

If you enjoyed this, I wrote a long-read a little while ago (also with non-fans in mind) about Bret Hart vs Steve Austin, AKA the greatest wrestling match ever.
medium.com/@ChrisBrosnaha…

I also wrote this long-read about the Chris Benoit story.
medium.com/@ChrisBrosnaha…

Finally, I'll point to this thread about Ashley Massaro, which I still think is important. (Content warning - it's a horrific story involving drugging and rape)

Quite a few people have acknowledged feeling anxiety, loneliness, and being as scared of letting people down as Hangman. The story hits home to me for similar reasons. If you're struggling, I hope things improve - you probably deserve more than you think as well. x

There was an Omega / Hangman update this week on AEW. The crowd response throughout is fantastic.