‘Hangman’ Adam Page has reflected on AEW’s origin.
Formed in 2019, All Elite Wrestling soon evolved into one of WWE’s biggest mainstream professional wrestling competitors. With several top names on the roster, the Jacksonville-based promotion boasts one of the biggest rosters in the industry. Almost six years ago, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes, Adam Page, and Tony Khan came together to form All Elite Wrestling.
While, The Young Bucks and Omega still serve as the promotion’s EVPs, Rhodes is no longer a part of the Jacksonville-based promotion. Ahead of his Double or Nothing 2025 bout, Adam Page appeared in an interview with Lauren Coates of Variety, and discussed how the promotion would not have existed without the popular YouTube show, ‘Being The Elite’. Run and hosted by mainly The Young Bucks, it presented a behind-the-scenes footage of the shows, and a more realistic take at the wrestler’s lives. ‘Being The Elite’ soon gained a major fan following, which Page believes helped them launch AEW.
“When I start talking about my career and what I’ve been through, I can’t talk about it without mentioning Being The Elite, what it meant for wrestling, and how really, AEW wouldn’t have existed without it. That was the real vehicle that created a connection with fans, and started a movement, a following. For me personally, B.T.E., in its entirety, was probably the most fun I have ever had in wrestling.
It’s hard to imagine that at the end of the day, it will always be the most fun I have ever had in professional wrestling, because these guys are my best friends, the people that I’m spending as much or more time with every week than I am with my own family. We all love the same thing. We’re all creative people. Getting to do that together never felt like work.
I guess it wasn’t work, but it never felt like it either, it was always fun. And it was something we were passionate about. A lot of times, we would be up in the middle of the night. For the cruise Halloween episode, I didn’t sleep for a couple days trying to do it, and that was never a burden. It was just like, wow, I haven’t slept at all, I’ve been working, but it was such a fun thing to do, such a privilege.
The longer it went on, the more we started to recognize the fruits of our labor; we would do Ring of Honor or New Japan shows, and it felt like the crowd was there to see B.T.E. a lot of times. The crowds were bigger, the viewership was bigger, and ultimately it ended up being All Elite Wrestling. But at the same time, you had the sense that us goofing off, us having fun is changing the landscape of wrestling and in a very positive way. It’s such a cool thing to be a part of.”
Page is now scheduled to face Will Ospreay in the Owen Hart Tournament final at the Double or Nothing PPV, with the winner getting a World title shot against Jon Moxley at All In 2025.
Swerve Strickland Once Took Credit For Adam Page’s Main Event Rise
Last year, during the WrestleDream post-show press conference, former World Champion Swerve Strickland took credit for Adam Page’s main event rise.
“Right now, I think a lot of things have been settled, but there is a small minute piece that still hasn’t been settled with him. He can have that victory. He can that unsanctioned victory over me. I have two legit victories over him. I’m always going to hold that over his head. Another thing was, over the last year, I was the best thing to happen to Hangman Page. If you look at All Out last year, he was on Zero Hour doing a battle royal. I brought him to the main event. Just like I did with Will Ospreay.”
In other news: Will Ospreay reveals why he does not want recently released WWE stars to immediately join AEW.