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Credit score: All Elite Wrestling
“Hangman” Adam Net page has been one of many key figures in All Elite Wrestling since its inception.
High-profile fits, robust storytelling and an emotional reference to fans, he delivered some unheard of performances on the avenue to his first world championship at Fat Tools final November.
After scratching and clawing his scheme to the pause, he raised the enviornment title in an unforgettable 2d that every paid off an broad storyline and topped him as the breakout massive title of AEW.
A single, world championship-a hit 2d does no longer a title reign fabricate, despite the indisputable truth that.
Earlier than a blockbuster main occasion against CM Punk at Double or Nothing, how has his trip with the pause prize within the firm graded out?
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If there is one component of Net page’s AEW world title reign that has lived up to expectations, it be his in-ring performance.
Hangman started his trip as champion with a pair of fits against Bryan Danielson that grew to was fast classics.
One went to an hour-very lengthy time-restrict procedure that tested Net page’s toughness and resiliency against the most convenient wrestler within the enviornment. The 2d modified into no longer on the field of as lengthy but did peek the 30-year-frail convey himself as a deserving champion by hanging The American Dragon down with the Buckshot Lariat to retain the gold.
A brutal Texas Deathmatch against Lance Archer and two gritty victories over Adam Cole in robust main occasions persevered his trip of excessive-quality performances.
Net page has stood the test of a champion between the ropes. He has identified the huge stress that comes with carrying the enviornment title and the lofty expectations fans have for that person to originate up to the duty. He has been one of many most continuously gargantuan wrestlers in AEW since defeating Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship six months within the past.
Most impressively, these defining defenses got here against rivals of varied styles and backgrounds, in fully varied fits, proving he is adaptable, too. He can work a dilapidated wrestling match against Danielson, stride finisher-for-finisher against Cole and throw fists with Archer in a violent, bloody brawl. He can snatch up enormous bumps and dish out an ass-whupping when the time requires it.
Net page is a properly-rounded in-ring worker and has, arguably, delivered the most convenient sequence of fits of any AEW world champion to this level and grades out highly thanks to it.
Grade: A
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Hangman’s victory over Omega at Fat Tools modified into the fruits of a years-lengthy stride; the achievement of a prophecy he procure 22 situation from day one in AEW. Manner help at the New Year’s Day 2019 press convention officially launching the firm, he promised he could presumably perhaps perhaps be its first world champion.
He wasn’t, but he scratched, clawed and overcame self-doubt to forestall his diagram in a triumphant trend by defeating the measuring stick of AEW.
Sadly, the ingenious that followed did no longer practice up on the momentum he had coming out of the November 2021 pay-per-scrutinize.
Too in total over the course of his reign, Net page has felt esteem an afterthought. Sure, he has had unheard of fits against whomever he modified into booked against, but varied tales, stars and feuds in total took precedence over the enviornment title program.
Scrutinize no further than CM Punk vs. MJF, a feud that engulfed AEW tv over the wintry climate months and overshadowed Net page’s feud with Cole, which felt esteem an upper-midcard program reasonably than a world title rivals.
Net page could presumably perhaps want competed against Cole within the final match at Revolution in February but fabricate no mistake about it: Punk vs. MJF within the dog collar bout modified into that snort’s right main occasion. That has been the case a long way too in total since November. Net page could presumably perhaps perhaps be the champion but others are emphasized over him, lowering the enviornment champion to slightly half within the massive plan of things.
It is form of apropos that Hangman is gearing up to lose his title to Punk at Double or Nothing on Would possibly maybe maybe 29, then.
Inconsistent reserving and a failure to present Net page as the guy in AEW thru meaningful angles and storylines have damage his legitimacy as champion. What modified into a 2d built over two years of tv modified into diminished quickly after by the ingenious forces’ inability to adequately followup up with a thought for him.
None of that is any fault of Net page. He has held up his pause of the reduce price, continually showing the upright quantity of intensity, aggression, humor and physicality when known as for. He has regularly delivered between the ropes. Sadly for him, the ingenious enhance has no longer been there, hurting his total presentation and dooming him to a unswerving a runt above-moderate grade in this category.
Attribute the plus half of the grade to his gargantuan fable with Punk before their date over Memorial Day weekend. More of that and this would had been an fully varied grade.
Grade: C+
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Assuming Net page does lose the AEW world title to Punk, his reign will likely be defined by what must had been.
AEW procure 22 situation the table for itself with two years of masterful storytelling. Net page modified into the most properly-rounded persona on its snort. He began as a younger, over member of The Elite with an abundance of doubtless and evolved into one of many most emotionally advanced, bright and standard characters within the firm.
He captured the enviornment title in a single of the actually gargantuan moments in AEW’s fast historical past and had momentum on his aspect coming out of Fat Tools in November.
Sadly for him and his fans, that payoff and the sequence with Danielson that followed quickly after were the pinnacles of his trip. A failure to properly build him as the undisputed high massive title, giving precedence to others and tales damage his legitimacy and credibility in that characteristic.
No sequence of banger fits could presumably perhaps perhaps snatch a long way from the truth that he modified into deemphasized, reasonably than being positioned as the guts piece of the snort.
That will presumably perhaps perhaps all alternate if he continues to comprise the edginess he displayed a few weeks help when he lower down Punk on the mic and insulted the Chicago native’s fans. It adjustments if Net page beats The Most efficient within the World and retains his title in Las Vegas.
Sadly, there is no longer any right motive to mediate that will happen.
Momentum is on Punk’s aspect, as are the same fans who rode the emotional roller coaster with Net page, handiest to peep it lose steam because it headed uphill.
The Anxious Millennial Cowboy has done the total lot in his energy to fabricate the most of his first opportunity to rob a world title, but this reign has been doomed by middling reserving and a failure on AEW’s half to properly present and comprise Hangman as its high competitor.
For that, Net page grades disappointingly.
Grade: B-
