{"id":126209,"date":"2024-08-05T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2024-08-05T12:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=126209"},"modified":"2024-08-05T01:03:17","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T05:03:17","slug":"aews-hangman-adam-page-and-mental-health-imposter-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/08\/05\/aews-hangman-adam-page-and-mental-health-imposter-syndrome\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW\u2019s \u201cHangman\u201d Adam Page and Mental Health: Imposter Syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adam Page: Confidence Required <\/span><\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pro wrestling requires confidence on all levels. Backstage, and in front of a crowd, kayfabe and reality. Wrestlers in the ring and their characters need assurance. Traditionally, locker rooms have been historical masculine environments that run on a hierarchy, pecking orders based on strength and power. Bravado is required everywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

Confidence is the fighter\u2019s fist inside the boxing glove. The bite of the dog. The hormone that determines how big the proverbial grapefruits are. It\u2019s the display of power. How seriously a wrestler is taken.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s traditionally what helps get every top wrestler to the pinnacle. That is their ability to prove they can walk the walk and talk the talk. But then historically, if you can talk folks into the building, that can be enough. It has always been that way. Look at any promo by top guys in <\/span>WWE <\/span><\/strong>or<\/span> AEW<\/span><\/strong> for evidence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cody Rhodes<\/span><\/strong>, whether suited or draped in the American flag\u2019s colors, acts as if he is cut from a different cloth while also representing the fans. <\/span>CM Punk<\/span><\/strong> and <\/span>Drew McIntyre<\/span><\/strong>, whose hottest feud of the year, has been a battle of words and built on personalities and egos.<\/span><\/p>\n

AEW\u2019s top programs focus on who is strong enough to be the best. <\/span>Will Ospreay<\/span><\/strong> vs. <\/span>Swerve Strickland<\/span><\/strong> be built on the premise of killer instinct? Would Ospreay be willing to put Swerve in the ground? It was metaphorical, but the way they talked it up, sold the concept that a crime would be committed on PPV.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bravado is how wrestlers traditionally <\/span>have made<\/span> the<\/span> fans believe they can do it<\/span>.<\/span> Even<\/span> if <\/span>is<\/span> false. Some fake it until they make it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Except in one instance, one wrestler, who in AEW went against convention.<\/span><\/p>\n

Weak and Real<\/span><\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201c<\/span>For years wrestlers were only seen as larger-than-life, colorful superhero types. Nobody ever <\/span>really<\/span> explored the idea of a wrestler being like a normal person, struggling with everyday emotions\u2026 It\u2019s important to have sensitive, vulnerable characters who show that human side because more people watching can relate to <\/span>a person<\/span> like that<\/span><\/em>.\u201d Matt Jackson, <\/span>Men\u2019s Health<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

At times<\/span> it\u2019s hard for me not to have parasocial similarities between myself and the character of <\/span>\u201cHangman\u201d Adam Page<\/span><\/strong>. I\u2019ve written previously about AEW\u2019s presentation of modern masculinity (<\/span>here<\/span><\/a>) and my background as an anxious millennial thirty-two-year-old teacher.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam Page as a character feels more real to me than anyone in <\/span>WWE<\/span><\/strong>. That phrase of \u201ccinema\u201d used in WWE is apt in terms of WWE Hollywood. Even at its most authentic, there is a detachment. Cody Rhodes cries but is still a superhero. <\/span>Roman Reigns<\/span><\/strong> is weak but hides this with <\/span>ruthlessness<\/span>, but unlike <\/span>Tony Soprano<\/span><\/strong> never had a panic attack. Reigns must look strong, even in defeat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of Page\u2019s success is the depiction of human psychology within wrestling psychology. The overarching story of Hangman at its best has been about his struggles with mental health. Something my generation is highly aware of.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a world where wrestlers are supposed to be strong and tough guys, Hangman got over and became a world champion by showing weakness and overcoming it. Hangman did not need to defeat his former tag team partner, <\/span>Kenny Omega<\/span><\/strong> to be world champion. Page had to defeat the doubts and demons in his head to find the power to beat Omega.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amidst the anxiety, there was something else still plaguing Adam Page in his current heel run and relapse (which I\u2019ll analyze separately). Something that many people, including wrestlers (not their characters) experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Imposter Syndrome<\/span><\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Imposter syndrome is the feeling of anxiety related to waiting for the moment when someone\u2019s going to reveal what a fraud you are. It\u2019s about not feeling like you deserve something, let alone that you should be anywhere near the position you find yourself in. At some point, someone <\/span>is going to<\/span> realize they hired the wrong person. They picked the wrong partner. You aren\u2019t good enough. They\u2019re going to get rid of you like garbage.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s something <\/span>MJF <\/span><\/strong>in promos has hinted at with a fear of rejection and ADHD. As a writer with dyslexia, I understand this feeling of inferiority and discussed when discussing <\/span>neurodivergence and their history in wrestling<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

It can hit anyone. People who experience some <\/span>kind of<\/span> success can feel like it\u2019s undeserved and they are unworthy<\/span>. Folks<\/span> from <\/span>Albert Einstein <\/span><\/strong>to <\/span>Maya Angelou<\/span><\/strong>, and<\/span> celebrities like <\/span>Don Cheadle<\/span><\/strong> and <\/span>Tina Fey<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In real life, many wrestlers feel this. How many wrestlers struggled with being \u201cthe man\u201d? <\/span>Shawn Michaels<\/span><\/strong> and <\/span>Eddie Guerrero<\/span><\/strong> both suffered mentally and emotionally being the standard bearers for <\/span>WWE<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

LA Knight <\/span><\/strong>told \u201c<\/span>In the Klique<\/span><\/a><\/strong>\u201d about feeling a kind of imposter syndrome hitting him before the <\/span>2024 Royal Rumble<\/span><\/em>. MITB briefcase holder <\/span>Tiffany Stratton<\/span><\/strong> and WWE Women\u2019s World Champion, <\/span>Liv Morgan<\/span><\/strong> have felt at points like imposters. Morgan told <\/span>The Bump<\/span><\/strong>: \u201cLike I never had the credentials to fulfill what I needed to do here<\/span><\/em>.”<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a real feeling and an experience many can understand. Am I man enough? Am I good enough? Do I deserve this? Did I earn it?<\/span><\/p>\n

With \u201cHangman\u201d Adam Page these doubts and questions have been shown and told during his run towards the AEW World Championship from the very start.<\/span><\/p>\n

Going Back to the Beginning <\/span><\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n

The \u201clore\u201d of Hangman in AEW is built on Page\u2019s history before its formation. It\u2019s been cross-promotional and consistent. It\u2019s not been retconned like a <\/span>Marvel <\/span><\/strong>comic\/film or <\/span>Kane\u2019s <\/span><\/strong>backstory. It stretches back to<\/span> ROH<\/span><\/strong> and <\/span>NJPW<\/span><\/strong> where early into his career, Adam Page was, in his own words:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>I was the guy who was the last to join the Bullet Club\u2014on the house show that wasn\u2019t 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\u2019t even have a winning record in (New Japan\u2019s G1 Climax tournament).\u201d<\/span><\/em> Hangman\u201d Adam Page, <\/span>Men\u2019s Health<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Page was always treated and seen within <\/span>Bullet Club<\/span><\/strong> as the least significant member. The lackey. The bag man. The fall-guy. Bland and uninspired. <\/span>Overlooked<\/span> by many before AEW as the lesser member of <\/span>The Elite<\/span><\/strong>. That bled into the storyline on <\/span>Being The Elite (BTE)<\/span><\/strong> and <\/span>to<\/span> weekly <\/span>Dynamites<\/span><\/em> after Page failed to defeat <\/span>Chris Jericho<\/span><\/strong> for the AEW World Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n

To go from the lowest in the hierarchy to challenging for a championship, your friend the best in the world could not get, gave Hangman a chance to leapfrog perception and expectations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fans doubted Page could win. Page had his chance to prove every doubter wrong. This wasn\u2019t about penis size as it comically had been before the first <\/span>All In<\/span><\/em> on BTE. Page had one shot to make a fresh start in AEW and to put himself ahead of his stable mates. He blew it.<\/span><\/p>\n

The loss confirmed what everyone, including Page, already knew. Imposter syndrome brewed.<\/span><\/p>\n

When The World Confirms You\u2019re a \u201cJobber\u201d<\/span><\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n

When real people are in a negative cycle of self-thought and self-loathing, all evidence is skewed. It all points back to being your fault. When bad things are said or happen, either because of your actions or someone else\u2019s, it\u2019s always evidence that your feelings are right. You\u2019re what\u2019s wrong. You\u2019re the cause of problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

The wins and<\/span> the moments of joy alter to suit the narrative your mind constructs. The story that you don\u2019t belong. You\u2019re what\u2019s wrong. Nothing you do is any good. You do only wrong and no right.<\/span><\/p>\n

These feelings were shown rather than told through Hangman\u2019s body language in segments with The Elite. Falling into the role of \u201cside character\u201d (to quote <\/span>Vice<\/span><\/a><\/strong>) after losing his world championship opportunity, <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> a role Hangman self-fulfilled due to his insecurities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet it\u2019s also a role Hangman was pushed into by the status quo. By his friends. Back into the comfortable pecking order. Page\u2019s support network didn\u2019t see, notice, or care about Page\u2019s insecurities<\/span>. Partly<\/span>, due to their issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

When <\/span>Nicholas Jackson<\/span><\/strong> negged and<\/span> pushed Hangman\u2019s buttons by calling Page \u201ca jobber\u201d, it reinforced to Page what he already knew was true. He\u2019s stuck at the bottom. He was no good.<\/span><\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t toxic masculinity, not the type I\u2019ve discussed elsewhere <\/span>in <\/span><\/a>The Bloodline<\/span><\/a><\/strong> storyline<\/span><\/a>. However, its layers present how some young people react when they have been <\/span>felt<\/span> lied to by previous generations and society.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>In Adam Page, viewers were faced with another representation of a young person struggling to live up to their lofty dreams. Raised on the mantra that success means playing nice with higher-ups and waiting for your one shot at glory, a reputation for failure can follow you through your entire career<\/span><\/em>.\u201d <\/span>Beau Windon, <\/span>Vice<\/span><\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Victory Means Nothing<\/span><\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n

With imposter syndrome, with never feeling good enough despite how hard you work or the actual proof around you, your brain always finds something to remind you of your inferiority. Despite winning with <\/span>Kenny Omega<\/span><\/strong> the AEW World Tag Team championships, before <\/span>The Young Bucks<\/span><\/strong>, it did nothing <\/span>in the<\/span> short-term to impact Hangman\u2019s issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

If anything, it only made things worse. Consider the celebrations post-matches of Hangman drinking beer or whiskey and Omega and The Bucks drinking milk. It all becomes symbolic to the tainted mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are very different. A sense of unworthiness grew.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even victory over The Young Bucks at <\/span>Revolution 2020<\/span><\/em>. Page power-bombed Nicholas through a table, hit a one-winged angel, then buckshot lariat both Jacksons for the win. Then post-match, Hangman was so disconnected, so distant from his stable mates because the poison was in deep.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the man\u2019s own words to <\/span>Men\u2019s Health<\/span><\/strong>, the sense of inferiority remained despite proving his capability:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>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<\/span><\/em>.\u201d \u201cHangman\u201d Adam Page, <\/span>Men\u2019s Health<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because post-match, despite retaining the championships, the dynamic remained the same. Page still felt like the lesser man.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Support Changes Everything <\/span><\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n

These voices and doubts, along with the failings of his friendship group pushed Hangman to be the outsider of The Elite. The other members were wrapped up in their issues. They didn\u2019t notice Hangman slipping further away and if\/when they did, they didn\u2019t support him.<\/span><\/p>\n

As time proved, the ones to turn bad were Omega and The Bucks to win championship gold. Yet self-perception allowed <\/span>FTR<\/span><\/strong> to manipulate Hangman. <\/span>First<\/span>, costing The Young Buck a number one contendership gauntlet, which resulted in Hangman\u2019s exclusion from The Elite.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rudderless, this led to Page\u2019s long winding road to redemption. With The Elite this would not have been possible. Hangman would have remained and kept himself tethered to the past<\/span>. Stuck<\/span> in himself in that role of \u201cjobber\u201d. <\/span>Trapped<\/span> without the room to grow.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mirroring real life in the sense that some people, stuck in an abrasive dynamic, cannot change unless the situation and environment change. It was through the support that <\/span>allowed<\/span> others to make changes. Dealing with them alone only works to some extent.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Dark Order<\/span><\/strong> (who have suffered criminally from being underutilized) supported Page in finding self-acceptance. To find some confidence and assurance. With a quick bit of research online, you can find studies by psychologists and experts who point out the benefit of a strong support network in aiding mental health.<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>Johann Hari\u2019s <\/span>Lost Connections<\/span><\/a><\/strong>, a book about the causes and steps to overcome depression, Hari highlights the isolation and the lack of community as two of the biggest contributors to poor mental health.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hari also highlights how it is very possible to be surrounded by people, and a group, and still feel disconnected. Sometimes leaving behind your friends and forging new relationships becomes a means of combatting doubt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Overcoming?<\/span><\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201c<\/span>I wouldn\u2019t even say [the story] has borrowed from my real life, as much as it is [real life] \u2026 Each step of the way, I\u2019d ask myself, \u2018How do I feel about this right now?\u2019 And I\u2019d <\/span>just<\/span> give you the truth<\/span><\/em>.\u201d <\/span>Men\u2019s Health<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The reality of mental health is there isn\u2019t a quick fix. It\u2019s maintenance. When analyzing Page\u2019s \u201cI am a man\u201d promo in discussing <\/span>modern masculinity<\/span><\/a>, Page presented that persistence and need to no matter the darkness, keep fighting. Get knocked down, you get up again.<\/span><\/p>\n

The medicine can and does stop working and you fight on<\/span>. Until<\/span> you can\u2019t. The problem is the poison creeps in again when your defenses are down.<\/span><\/p>\n

The issue with mental health struggles is they don\u2019t just disappear, like the bad guy killed in the climax of a Hollywood blockbuster. Page completed his story and yet winning the world championship didn\u2019t solve the problems in his head. Reuniting with The Elite did not solve his issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

That sense of feeling inferior doesn\u2019t go away with accomplishments. The achievement hasn’t fixed my insecurity. No matter how much praise I receive in my various forms of work. It doesn\u2019t matter how many articles or stories I\u00a0 publish. No amount of gifts, kind words, or flowers has or will resolve this feeling. A part of me always says that I\u2019m a fraud.<\/span><\/p>\n

And sometimes, like the character of \u201cHangman\u201d Adam Page, that feeling of inferiority becomes something else. It leads to a relapse and self-destructive behavior again. It\u2019s part of the cycle many experiences when their support networks weaken or difficult events cause change.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s part of the beauty of the Hangman character at present. It\u2019s that reflection of something real.<\/span><\/p>\n

More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/h3>\n

Header photo \u2013\u00a0AEW\u00a0\u2013 Stay tun<\/em>ed to the\u00a0Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a>\u00a0for 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.\u00a0 You can catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their\u00a0YouTube<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adam Page: Confidence Required Pro wrestling requires confidence on all levels. Backstage, and in front of a crowd, kayfabe and reality. Wrestlers in the ring and their characters need assurance. Traditionally, locker rooms have been historical masculine environments that run on a hierarchy, pecking orders based on strength and power. Bravado is required everywhere. Confidence […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4960,"featured_media":126250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4677,2192],"tags":[8232,386,423,176],"class_list":["post-126209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aew","category-wrestling","tag-hangman-adam-page","tag-kenny-omega","tag-the-elite","tag-the-young-bucks"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4960"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}