Going back to the beginning of September 2020, Kenny Omega and Adam Page were the AEW World Tag Team Champions. They were dominant champions; carrying the titles around their waists from their victory over SoCal Uncensored aboard Chris Jericho‘s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager on January 21st up until their defeat to FTR at All Out on September 5th. A 228 day title reign in a company possessing such a stellar tag team division is no easy feat. Despite their dominance, Omega and Page had looked shaky for quite some time. It was no surprise, then, that Kenny would turn his back on Page. At AEW’s Full Gear 2020 (November 7), the two will square off to determine the next challenger for Jon Moxley‘s AEW World Championship.
Kenny Omega and the Return to Cleaning
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Typically, a high-profile tag team in pro wrestling ends with a nasty fall-out. For months, Omega and Page teased just that; with Page at one point making sure his The Elite comrades, The Young Bucks, were eliminated from a fatal four way tag team match. When Page wanted to drink beer with his buddies in FTR, Omega tutted and tapped his foot – disappointed that his partner would do such a thing with a proven enemy. When the break up finally came, Omega grabbed a ringside table. Finally, at last, the Omega/Page feud – teased for months – was about to come to fruition. Omega was finally going to bash Page’s face in and get back to Cleaning, as fans demanded. Instead, something else happened; Kenny put the table down, ignored Page’s embrace and walked away.
He would return on October 21, more than a month later. A new entrance; a new attitude but the same old Cleaner/Best Bout Machine who made Kenny Omega a household name in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He defeated Sonny Kiss in a meager 26 seconds and sat in the ring with a smug expression which read “is that it?” Then on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Kenny Omega was victorious once more; in a far more competitive bout against Pentagon Jr. A match that lasted over 17 minutes, it was a contest which really allowed Kenny (as well as the brilliant Pentagon Jr) to showcase his arsenal – a warning to his opponent in the final that The Cleaner is back. Well, his opponent is a man who knows Omega as good as anybody. Hangman Page.
Adam Page: The Worthy Opponent
Hangman Page is one of AEW’s big potential future stars. Granted, Page is already a star for the present; having wrestled all over the world and having received a giant boost in popularity during his time in The Elite. He is one of the best workers in the world; boasting an arsenal worthy of comparison to the most impressive stars in AEW. In addition, of course, he is one-half of the longest-reigning AEW World Tag Team Champions in the promotion’s short history (with Omega). However, despite the acclaim, Page is just 29 years old – in wrestling terms, this is pretty young. He has yet to capture a major singles title (the only singles title to his name thus far is the CWF Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship). Therefore, going into his match with Omega at Full Gear 2020, it is clear who the veteran and who the young, upstart is.
Meanwhile, Kenny Omega is one of the most decorated stars in the world today. He has won titles in AAA (and is the current AAA Mega Champion); he has won championships in All Japan Pro Wrestling. Titles in PWG; titles in DDT and not to mention the crown jewel, the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Then there are the awards he has won, such as topping the PWI 500 in 2018. Kenny Omega is, without a doubt, a certified legend within pro wrestling (and if you watched AEW Dynamite this week, you’ll know that he knows we think this). Therefore, Hangman is the clear underdog heading into a match that will be hotly contested and, potentially, personal. Though their break-up wasn’t the stab-in-the-back betrayal we expected, there must still be bad blood between the former tag team partners.
A Potentially Significant AEW Rivalry
All Elite Wrestling is still a very young promotion. Despite having the benefit of Tony Khan‘s money; a mega TV deal with TNT and an already boisterous fan-base, it is a fact that cannot be ignored: AEW needs significant feuds. They are someway’s to achieving this, having already produced feuds such as the Inner Circle versus The Elite; Cody versus Lance Archer and Jon Moxley versus Brian Cage. However, what they really need is a truly lengthy, personal rivalry that years from now people look back to with fondness. Everything is set up for this feud to be just that. With the tag team history; the manner of their breakup and their potentially violent fallout coming out of their upcoming match (it should not be a “one and done” deal). Omega already has the star power; let him use it to bring Page up to that level and create some magic for the ages. The feud for the present.
Stay tuned to Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TNT and AEW DARK Tuesday nights at 7 PM ET on YouTube.
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