Jon Moxley and Hangman Adam Page didn’t get to have the feud they wanted to as 2022 came to a close, but the two have more than made up for it on AEW television lately. So much so that their program has overtaken MJF vs. Bryan Danielson as the most interesting in the company, and they could be on the road to stealing the spotlight at Revolution. Moxley and Hangman aren’t scheduled for that pay-per-view yet, but it feels like that’s the way this thing is going following their barn burner to open the February 1 episode of Dynamite.
That was the third meeting between Jon and Adam, with the first fight ending early due to Page inadvertently getting knocked out in Cincinnati, Ohio. That Dynamite main event needed to be stopped, and Hangman was stretchered out. He picked up a concussion in that match, shelving him as 2022 wrapped up. However, they’ve rolled that accidental injury into the storyline, and each meeting between these two is harder-hitting than the last. At this point, the feud is too good, and the stars are too big for the blow off the come on free television. Moxley and Page are destined for a brutal finale at Revolution, and that match is already threatening to steal the show.
Moxley & Hangman Adam Page Seem Primed For A Brutal Stipulation Match
Hangman Adam Page and Jon Moxley haven’t needed a World Championship to feud over. Instead, this rivalry has evolved—or devolved, depending on how fans view it—into a desperate struggle between two wrestlers trying to see who the tougher man is. This is the cloth that Jon Moxley is cut from, of course. He has a long and storied history as a death match wrestler willing to do whatever it takes to win. Hangman is developing his reputation as one of the more rugged workers on AEW’s roster, participating in some gritty and bloody brawlers over the last few years. This program with Moxley is only adding to that growing reputation.
Given the escalating brutality shown in their first three fights, it only seems natural for the blow-off match to be of the brutal variety. Dave Meltzer sees a Texas Death Match as a possible outcome. Hangman has wrestled Adam Cole and Lance Archer in this match style, but both were on Dynamite. All Elite Wrestling loves to push the bounds of violence on Wednesday nights, but all bets would be off for a pay-per-view Texas Death Match. If Tony Khan goes this route, Revolution could be a tale of two distinct kinds of wrestling.
MJF and Danielson will be booked for a 60-minute Iron Man match once the American Dragon jumps through all of Max’s hoops. That bout seems designed to get MJF’s in-ring abilities over, regardless of whether he wins or loses. It’ll be tense and methodical, possibly becoming an instant classic. A lot of the shine might get taken off of a technical masterpiece from those two if Moxley and Hangman beat the hell out of each other for 30 minutes before Flight of the Valkyries ever booms over the speakers.
This Clash Of Styles At Revolution Is Good For AEW
There’s some genuine concern about the under card stealing the limelight away from the presumed main event, but this is a good problem for All Elite Wrestling to have. The marquee could end up feeling like a big pre-pandemic NJPW show, with a glut of great on-paper matches and high-end wrestlers each going out and wanting to steal the show. That’s the direction AEW is heading in after a course-correcting Full Gear in November. That was the company’s last branded pay-per-view, the first since the disastrous events following All Out in September.
AEW has been back on track for the last two months, but Revolution will be the company’s first opportunity to show that in a PPV setting. Injuries have also played a massive role in Khan’s inability to book things the way he might have wanted to since All Out. The Elite missed considerable time suspended, Adam Cole hasn’t wrestled since Forbidden Door, CM Punk is either hurt, suspended or both and Hangman dealt with the concussion, as mentioned earlier. So, the March 5 show could be memorable with all of these talents back in the mix. And thanks in no small part to a pair of incredible matches we’ve discussed here.
It’ll be interesting to see who ends up coming out on top if Jon Moxley and Hangman Adam Page end up going to war in some last-man-standing fight. AEW fans don’t talk about it much, but Moxley is the most protected professional wrestler going not named Roman Reigns. He’s the company’s ace, so that makes sense to some degree. The number of times he’s lost clean since 2019 can be counted on one hand, but that might need to change at Revolution. Regardless of who ends up winning the final match, there’s no denying that Moxley Vs. Page can be a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency feud for AEW for the next decade-plus. The two have outstanding in-ring chemistry and have developed into a foundational rivalry for Tony Khan’s wrestling promotion.