Iron sharpens iron: How Hangman Page and AEW are influencing WWE's modern evolution
After his disastrous exit from AEW in September 2023, it was difficult to imagine that CM Punk would return to WWE – or that the company would even want him. But look closely at the dynamic currently unfolding between America's top two promotions, and you'll see that his return is hardly surprising.
The Straight Edge Superstar made his shocking comeback at Survivor Series 2023, throwing yet another bucket of fuel on the flames of WWE's current hot streak. Interestingly, his first interactions in the Stamford-based promotion have drawn parallels with both the in-ring storylines and real-life drama that characterized his run in All Elite Wrestling.
Even more intriguing was the first face-to-face confrontation between The Second City Saint and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, where fans caught the echo of a now-infamous promo by AEW's 'Hangman' Adam Page.
While Rollins' dislike for Punk is well-established, it's also clear that The Straight Edge Superstar's presentation in WWE is drawing heavily from the tumultuous second half of his run in Tony Khan's promotion.
This is almost certainly by design, and it's not the first time Triple H (or Vince McMahon) has capitalized on both the success and failure of All Elite Wrestling. It's also not the first time fans have noticed the work of Hangman Page in WWE.
Now, as the tide turns in Triple H's favor and North America's top two wrestling companies vie for momentum, a bloody battle is being waged by fans on social media over intent, coincidence, and who "did it better."
Amidst this storm, AEW searches for its next spark, while The Hangman is quietly proving himself to be one of the most influential wrestlers of his generation.
Competition breeds innovation – and lack of it, stagnation
WWE's long reign of domination had several profound effects on the wrestling industry in the United States. For one, the business became extremely top-heavy. At the mountain's peak, Vince McMahon's empire dug itself into the public consciousness as wrestling's sole superpower – the true Island of Relevancy.
But Iron sharpens iron, or so the old proverb says, and a lack of meaningful competition often results in stagnation.
Less than a decade ago, WWE was an old dragon who had eaten every challenger capable of stealing its gold. Keeping its sight on that ultimate corporate goal – a brand that surpasses its product in value – the promotion sat for years on its creative haunches, until its joints locked up and its muscles atrophied.
Scuttling around this calcifying behemoth were America's independent promotions, which, in an effort to answer the growing demand for alternatives, diversified in strange, innovative, hilarious, and sometimes brutal ways. Vince McMahon paid them little mind but often plucked their champions away, molding and rebranding them as representatives of sports entertainment.
In this landscape, WWE's methods became law. Wrestling itself became 'outlaw.' The company operated as a theme park, with season passes promising new drops from its well-oiled conveyor belt of content. "The Road to WrestleMania" and "The Biggest Party of the Summer" were hammered into the ears of fans with Pavlovian conditioning.
And the industry became largely dependent on WWE – even as the company itself became less dependent on its own fans.
By several metrics, the birth and early success of AEW shook the wrestling business awake. The half-filled arenas of 2017 are now packed and louder than they've been in a decade. Mainstream news is catching wind of in-ring results. The independent scene, despite nearly being decimated by the pandemic, is alive and kicking. Shows aren't being hijacked by disgruntled fans. And – perhaps most shocking of all – WWE is enjoying something like a new golden age.
That's not to say that AEW deserves the credit – not all of it, anyway, and not directly. But its mere existence – and its mission statement – have sparked the flames of both war and creation.
Ironically, the company that has seemingly benefited the most from AEW's existence is the one it was meant to challenge. Faced with an upstart who embarrassed its third brand, challenged its live attendance, and lured its talent away – all while riding the steed of its long-vanquished foe – the ancient dragon finally stirred on the mountaintop.
Fire and blood...and The Bloodline
West Coast rapper Guerilla Black once explained that Eminem is so successful because, rather than sticking to one discipline or trying to follow in anyone's footsteps, he listened to everything and incorporated it all into his unique style.
Tony Khan did something similar in establishing AEW's identity – drawing deeply from wrestling history, revitalizing traditional concepts, and balancing the successful aspects of other promotions with the innovations needed to survive in the modern landscape. WWE, after years of stagnation, is now doing the same, albeit on a more selective scale.
Just as the influence of PWG, Chikara, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling is easily marked in AEW's product, so too are AEW's fingerprints appearing on WWE TV. And while Triple H may get most of the credit from fans, these changes actually began before his creative regime came to power.
The first sign that WWE was studying its upstart rival occurred during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. With fans unable to attend live shows, Tony Khan adapted quickly. Vince McMahon soon followed his lead, using the same setup and even later adopting Khan's placement of active talent behind the barricade.
More of AEW's influence would crop up here and there throughout the pandemic era, such as the universally panned 'Eye for an Eye' angle between Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio – lifted from Jon Moxley's feud with The Inner Circle and spun out to an absurd degree at Extreme Rules 2020.
There was also the return of pyro on WWE programming, which had been largely abandoned as a cost-cutting measure years before. In light of Tony Khan's promise of fire and blood – particularly in the case of Cody Rhodes – Vince McMahon decided to shell out for the spectacle once more. He would even keep AEW's presentation of Rhodes after signing him in early 2022.
But beyond the direct inspirations, WWE began to introduce changes in its long, long, long-established booking process.
For years, McMahon had catered to casual fans with short angles and jumping-on points, paying off storylines (or not) through the company's monthly premium live event cycle and producing a frustrating amount of rematches along the way. With All Elite Wrestling drawing acclaim for its extended arcs and logical booking, WWE shifted gears and slowly began introducing more cohesive narratives.
This change coincided with the revitalization of factions in WWE – a staple of NJPW that Tony Khan had incorporated in his fledgling promotion. It worked for Chris Jericho, Brodie Lee, and The Elite; why not Roman Reigns?
WWE would go on to make faction warfare a huge part of its programming, with the likes of The Brawling Brutes, Judgment Day, The LWO, Imperium, and, of course, The Bloodline dominating the airwaves. But as AEW would demonstrate, the real drama lay in a group's interpersonal relationships. Enter Adam Page.
The Hangman
Hangman Adam Page's journey throughout AEW's young existence has been a revelation and, when all is said and done, might be looked back on as one of the most important character arcs of this generation. Hangman has drawn acclaim for his soulful persona and unorthodox, modern take on what is essentially a throwback character archetype.
Throughout the years of WWE's dominance, fans had become accustomed to seeing 'good guy' characters presented in a few limited flavors, most notably: unshakeable boy scout, confident wise-cracker, and heroic underdog on a quest. Or, as was sometimes the case with John Cena, all three at once.
That's not to say that a babyface couldn't succeed without being any of the above, but you probably weren't going to see them in serious world title contention.
And it's only natural that Vince McMahon would want to push larger-than-life heroes. Who would want to see a wishy-washy, anxiety-ridden, depressed, self-sabotaging alcoholic triumph against the former friends who (rightfully) cast him out? As it turns out, a lot of people.
Page's down-to-earth persona, human vulnerability, and realistic struggles resonated with AEW's fans in a huge way. So much so that by 2021, his tale of betrayal, redemption, and triumph over his former stablemates in The Elite was being hailed as one of the greatest wrestling storylines in years.
Fast forward a few months, and WWE's very own Elite, The Bloodline – complete with a belt-collecting top dog, a pair of Superkick-spamming Tag Team Champion brothers, and a kowtowing, scheming mouthpiece – allowed a genuine, soulful, and decidedly unorthodox Sami Zayn to join their ranks.
The resulting narrative, also filled with betrayal, redemption, and triumph, was by no means a ripoff of Hangman's acclaimed storyline. Nor should The Bloodline be considered a copy of The Elite. But the influence on the booking is certainly there. Not since the days of Mick Foley had WWE fans seen such a flawed, vulnerable character receive such a huge spotlight. Things have indeed changed.
Still, The Hangman's influence goes beyond emotional portrayals and long-term storylines. Adam Page showed up in the Stamford-based promotion again at Crown Jewel 2022 – this time in the form of Logan Paul, who hit Roman Reigns with Hangman's patented finishing maneuver – the Buckshot Lariat.
The YouTube megastar has drawn from several influential WWE Superstars and legends in developing his moveset, including Eddie Guerrero, AJ Styles, and The Tribal Chief himself. However, the only signature maneuver he's borrowed from a rival promotion belongs to AEW's resident cowboy.
And then there's the CM Punk thing. Make of it what you will.
Coincidental? In some ways, certainly. A ripoff? No, just good television on both accounts. But of all the incredible talent in the Jacksonville-based promotion, it's interesting to see the fingerprints of a man who has never set foot in WWE continue to show up on the company's programming.
If TKO Group Holdings decided to allow blading in WWE, one would almost expect to see a controversial blood-drinking spot before the year is out.
AEW vs. WWE: The good business of incorporation
Studying the triumphs and missed opportunities of rival promotions and talent is prudent for any company. Capitalizing on them is just good business. A large portion of American fans would be shocked to learn just how many of their favorite maneuvers and sequences were innovated by (and subsequently stolen from) Joshi wrestlers in Japan. Yes, even the male superstars of WWE. It's just the way of things.
Some of AEW's earliest fans jumped on board with the express hope that the company's success would push WWE to alter its course. Mission accomplished. As AEW takes from WWE, NJPW, and many others, Triple H incorporates what worked for Tony Khan.
And my, how the tides have shifted. In recent months, WWE and AEW have almost traded places. The trophies that Khan collected – the goodwill, the morale, the babyface status, and even the fans Triple H himself helped drive off throughout the 2010s – The Game seems determined to take them all back.
Aside from the post-premium live event press conferences – another AEW-ism picked up by Triple H – WWE is doing many of the things that fans flocked to its rival for just a couple of years ago.
Babyfaces are getting hometown wins now. There's a greater emphasis on competition. Storylines are more grounded and cohesive. And most importantly – stars are being built again, instead of assigned, and getting the chance to prove their worth, and being pushed as a result. Well, partly.
WWE adapted in the 90s because it was forced to. It has now done so again, seemingly because it smelled opportunity. Meanwhile, AEW looks to be undergoing an identity crisis, wobbling on the tightrope it's forced to walk, bound by the market it was founded to tap but hungering for a bigger slice of that unattainable mainstream pie.
Still, AEW is not dead or dying yet, despite what some would have you believe. And you'd better hope it doesn't die – unless you want 20 more years of stagnation and corporate buzzwords. A new television deal with Warner Bros. Discovery will go a long way in securing the young company's future, and fans can bet on that happening in 2024.
But for now, Tony Khan & Co. would do well to forget about CM Punk and return to what made them successful in the first place – and what Triple H is doing so well right now: listening to the fans and creating stars.
Just don't be surprised if Seth Rollins hits a Buckshot Lariat on CM Punk at WrestleMania 40.
The thoughts and ideas expressed in this article are opinions. Let us know what you think in the comments section below!