The Young Bucks to introduce 5th member of The Elite on AEW Dynamite this week? Exploring the possibility
Last week on Dynamite, The Young Bucks challenged the AEW locker room to face the restructured Elite in the 2024 edition of Blood and Guts. Given that the match is traditionally competed with at least five members on each team and that the Elite currently comprises four individuals, the stable could be looking to add a new member to its ranks on the upcoming episode of Dynamite.
A logically coherent addition to The Elite at this juncture of the faction's storyline war against AEW would be that of Hangman Adam Page. The Anxious Millennial Cowboy has a long history with The Elite, given his association with the group since joining the Bullet Club in 2016.
The Elite have been running roughshod in All Elite Wrestling since April, incapacitating Tony Khan and brutalizing Kenny Omega in subsequent weeks. They recently emerged victorious in an Anarchy in the Arena match against Team AEW at Double or Nothing 2024.
On last week's episode of Dynamite, Matthew Jackson of The Young Bucks attempted to recruit Swerve Strickland, now AEW World Champion, to be The Elite's fifth man for Blood and Guts this year, but their offer was turned down. As such, Hangman Page rejoining his former stablemates would make logical sense.
The recent history of The Young Bucks and Hangman Page in AEW
Although Hangman Page signed with All Elite Wrestling as a member of The Elite, his ties with the faction began to fray in the early days of the promotion. The dissolution of Page's alliance with The Elite paved the way for his unforgettable AEW World Title win over Kenny Omega in 2021.
Hangman reunited with The Elite in 2023 and engaged in a blockbuster feud with The Blackpool Combat Club, clashing with the stable in an Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing and later at Blood and Guts. Page and The Young Bucks also briefly held the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Titles but eventually lost it to The Moghul Embassy.
Since then, The Elite has undergone several noteworthy changes, with Matthew and Nicholas Jackson turning heel and resorting to abuse their powers as EVPs. They suspended Page for assaulting referees during his World Title match at Revolution 2024 and fired Kenny Omega from the group. Two new members have been added to the group: Kazuchika Okada and Jack Perry. Furthermore, The Young Bucks and The Rainmaker are now title holders, having won the World Tag Team Championships and the Continental Championships, respectively.
Hangman Page is set to make his All Elite Wrestling return soon
Adam Page began showing villainous traits during his rivalry with Swerve Strickland in September last year. Ahead of the three-way match for the AEW World Title between defending champion Samoa Joe, Swerve, and Page at Revolution 2024, the Virginia native tricked Strickland with a fake injury before attacking The New Flavor, to fans' disapproval.
Although Hangman has been missing from action since tapping out to Joe at Revolution, recent reports indicate that the former World Champion will return imminently. The report also claimed that Page was expected to continue operating as a heel.
Considering the unfinished business between Swerve and Hangman and the latter's storyline resolution to ensure Strickland does not hold the World Championship, the likelihood of The Young Bucks potentially (re) introducing Adam Page as The Elite's fifth member on the June 19 episode of Dynamite cannot be easily dismissed.