Hangman Page On The Emotional Beats Of His Feud With Kenny Omega, Using His Insecurities In It

Hangman Page’s match with Kenny Omega at AEW Full Gear is the culmination of a long storyline, and Page has discussed the authenticity of the feud and more. Page spoke with Men’s Health for a new interview and you can see some highlights below:

On the storyline hitting emotional points for him: “How could it not be? I challenge you or anybody reading to imagine that you were standing in the ring, and your partner is one of the greatest of all time in Kenny Omega. … and (your opponents are), I would say, without question, the greatest tag team of all time in the Young Bucks. And then you were standing there.”

On the authenticity of the storyline: “I wouldn’t even say [the story] has borrowed from my real life, as much as it is [real life]. Each step of the way, I’d ask myself, ‘How do I feel about this right now?’ And I’d just give you the truth.”

On using his insecurities in the storyline: “I was the guy who was the last to join the Bullet Club—on the house show that wasn’t even on TV. I was the guy who was getting beat in all these multi-man matches in New Japan. I was the guy who didn’t even have a winning record in (New Japan’s G1 Climax tournament). It feels like a fresh thing in wrestling to be that honest about how you feel in that situation. But what other truth could there be than to feel inferior in this group?”

On AEW promoting an openness that helps performers: Page thinks the values of the company have created an openness that helps performers too. “Ten, 20 years ago, you would never walk away from a top spot, for any reason [like Jon Moxley did by going to rehab]. You would let your life crumble around you before you walked away from that top spot. Knowing AEW is a different kind of place, a different environment, I think has helped people be more honest with what they need in their lives.”