{"id":152749,"date":"2026-02-07T14:15:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T19:15:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=152749"},"modified":"2026-02-07T14:15:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T19:15:38","slug":"hangman-adam-page-controversy-the-idea-vs-the-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/02\/07\/hangman-adam-page-controversy-the-idea-vs-the-man\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Hangman&#8221; Adam Page Controversy: The Idea vs. The Man"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The statement &#8220;Hangman&#8221; Adam Page gave to Sports Illustrated about a recent photograph taken with Marty Scrull, a wrestler ostracised during the Speak Out movement in 2020, showed Page\u2019s acceptance that fans are entitled to feel the way they feel about the image and his friendship with a person accused of sexually assaulting an inebriated 16-year-old girl.<\/p>\n<p>The inherent issue for readers of any statement given to the public after a controversy is the biases, experiences, and level of trustworthiness you hold with the statement maker. Page\u2019s statement is not an apology, but he is clear at several points that he does not endorse Scrull or wish to whitewash allegations of behaviour and actions he called \u201c<em>abhorrent. Disgraceful\u2026There\u2019s no excuse. I completely recognise that<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201c<em>If you hear all that, and you listen to all that, and you feel like maybe you wouldn&#8217;t have done the same thing had you been in my shoes, or maybe you still feel uncomfortable being a fan of mine, or even if you&#8217;ve lost, like, the smallest amount of respect for me because of any of that, I would just want to say I completely understand that. I can respect it and accept it.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>I guess who I am is, when people treat me with kindness, I try to return it. I have never really wanted to get into that. And that&#8217;s more or less why I have a private relationship with him. Not out of a sense of self-preservation or shame<\/em>\u2026 <em>But I guess I&#8217;ve just always thought that he&#8217;s still a human being, and that relationships are complicated, but they&#8217;re still relationships, and he&#8217;s still a human being. <\/em>&#8221; Hangman Adam Page, transcript from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/wrestling\/aew\/hangman-adam-page-addresses-controversial-photo-with-marty-scurll-exclusive?utm_source=gol\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sports Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Gold in hand and challenges ahead. A big night for the new <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AEW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#AEW<\/a> World Trios Champions Hangman Adam Page &amp; JetSpeed!<\/p>\n<p>Watch <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AEWDynamite?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#AEWDynamite<\/a> LIVE on TBS &amp; HBO Max <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/59S0PKTy1H\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/59S0PKTy1H<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AEW\/status\/2014144920580243596?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Intertwined: the Character and the Man<\/h2>\n<p>Respecting and recognising that, even with this statement, some fans&#8217; perception, respect, and\/or love for Page will never be the same again feels like a rare acceptance of the situation. Something that statements made by others in wrestling and the wider public sphere have been accused of failing to express.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, I mention this not to draw a comparison but to highlight the fatal flaw of whataboutism. Some can and will point fingers at other wrestlers&#8217; alleged or proven actions to divert attention. It doesn\u2019t change accountability. The false equivalency that promotes tribalism and polarisation changes nothing.<\/p>\n<p>To be crystal clear, all fans are entitled to maintain or alter their feelings and respect for Page. What\u2019s wrong is\/will be the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/02\/23\/wrestling-with-fan-outrage-part-3-performance-and-morality\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">performative and tribalistic weaponisation of the wider moral issues<\/a>, justifying preferences in wrestlers and wrestling. There have and will be arguments. Bad faith, but also those in good faith. Focused not just on an image and sustained friendship, whether it continues or ends, but on what it represents to different fans.<\/p>\n<p>Some have\/would argue that Page is not the one accused. Therefore, he has done nothing wrong on a human level. That mirroring of the character, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/09\/05\/the-history-of-aews-hangman-adam-page-vs-swerve-strickland\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">who in fiction burned down his nemesis\u2019s house, and live fans gasp and think the Hangman might maim Swerve Strickland, doing nothing wrong<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It adds complication because when discussing any wrestler, or public figure, for that matter, who transgresses against a group\u2019s moral culture, we\u2019re dealing with two intertwined layers. The idea of the person created by their character in the media and public space, and the human behind the character.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_152775\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-152775\" style=\"width: 737px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/swerve-strickland-adam-page-aew-blood-guts-2024.jpg\" alt=\"Hangman Adam Page and Swerve Strickland in 2024\" width=\"737\" height=\"413\" class=\"size-full wp-image-152775\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/swerve-strickland-adam-page-aew-blood-guts-2024.jpg 737w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/swerve-strickland-adam-page-aew-blood-guts-2024-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 737px) 100vw, 737px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-152775\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: AEW\/Lee South<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>What Makes a Cowboy a Modern, Relatable Hero?<\/h2>\n<p>Where one ends and the other begins is hard for us as audiences to tell. Some, like with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/07\/25\/real-american-hero-wrestling-with-legacy-character-and-the-complexity-of-fan-response-to-hulk-hogans-death\/\" target=\"_self\">legacy of Hulk Hogan<\/a>, prove divisive because heroes are constructs. Some fans will choose the art over the artist, but this is more than cognitive dissonance. It&#8217;s about\u00a0 recognising and trying to separate the art from the artist.<\/p>\n<p>This is the Fallacy of Disconnection. Rarely can you separate the two. The public mask is welded and built into the wearer&#8217;s skin. They are interlinked and cannot be separated. To do so is to minimise or place out of sight, to forget it, which is used by some as a means of protecting their own sense of interlinked identity.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Hangman&#8221; Adam Page means more to many AEW fans than just being the promotion&#8217;s main character. Page\u2019s uniqueness as a character and the perceptions of the man behind the persona, based on comments in promos, interviews, and infrequent social media posts, represent a progressive view of wrestling some fans identify with. Me included.<\/p>\n<p>A bias on the table, Page is my favourite wrestler in AEW and of the modern age. I\u2019ve written countless analytical pieces inspired by Page from AEW\u2019s showcasing of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/04\/09\/aew-gets-modern-masculinity\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">modern masculinity<\/a>, Page\u2019s mirroring arcs of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/08\/05\/aews-hangman-adam-page-and-mental-health-imposter-syndrome\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">imposter syndrome<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/08\/07\/aews-hangman-adam-page-and-mental-health-relapse\/?utm_source=us.vnexplorer.net&amp;utm_campaign=vnexplorer.net\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">relapse into anxiety and anger<\/a>, and more.<\/p>\n<p>As an anxious millennial, blonde-haired, non-traditional, male teacher, I\u2019m aware that I have a parasocial bond with Page that goes beyond the character to the man himself. I\u2019m a Hangman Girlie (a gender-neutral term) who appreciates both aspects of Stephen Woltz (Page\u2019s real name). The character and the man seem to me and many other fans to be interchangeable. The image and idea of being a modern hero is at the heart of the controversy and its fallout.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hangman Adam Page Burns Swerve\u2019s House to the Ground (Clip) | AEW Dynamite | TBS\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zETh7IZs0wU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>The Idea vs. The Man<\/h2>\n<p>None of us knows Stephen Woltz. We think we do. We know the ideal. Our collective idea of him is an image that fans are emotionally invested in, because it feels real.<\/p>\n<p>In a world of bravado, bombastic, over-the-top characters, played by wrestlers pretending to be superhuman or idealised archetypes, Page in AEW has felt real. Zagging rather than zigging to the traditional rhythms of getting over, the Hangman\u2019s approach to becoming a fan-favourite involved patience and nuance. A willingness to appear weak and unguarded, to play an imposter.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a phrase some old-school wrestling personalities like Bruce Prichard use about guys who play-act, pretending to be a wrestler. They try to walk the walk. They try to be the role, but they come across as fake and inauthentic. Acting. Page subverted that by committing to something few wrestlers do without either humour or irony: look weak. It flies in the face of wrestling\u2019s tradition of being myths rather than men.<\/p>\n<p>Alongside Page\u2019s progressiveness, Page represents for many a light in the shady and still warped morality of wrestling. For some, reconciling that a feminist hero who openly supports women\u2019s rights and equity remains friends with someone accused of irreparably harming a woman\u2019s body and power, doesn\u2019t\/can\u2019t mesh.<\/p>\n<p>That clash between the public persona advocating and representing victims\u2019 rights for some will feel undermined and hollow. Especially given Page\u2019s private choice to support, in some capacity, an accused victimiser. Page cannot control his perception of himself or the ideals he represents to fans. We, as fans, have the power to decide and judge for ourselves the more important line: the one between the idea of who we think\/want Page to be and the real-life man.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Hangman Adam Page continued his quest for payback against The Opps when he faced <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/K_Shibata2022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@K_Shibata2022<\/a> on last night&#39;s Collision!<\/p>\n<p>Watch the <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AEWCollision?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#AEWCollision<\/a> replay RIGHT NOW on <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SportsonMax?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@SportsOnMAX<\/a>! <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NSjaXau3m8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/NSjaXau3m8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AEW\/status\/2015409317449547915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Not as Simple as Hero Worship is Flawed<\/h2>\n<p>We and our culture construct heroes based on our shared beliefs and morals. Collectively, we turn people into ideas. Those ideas become simplified. Heroes become monomyths, placed on pedestals and idealised. This isn\u2019t about suggesting fault or blame. Rather, it\u2019s an aspect of human nature and storytelling. Humans streamline and simplify complexity. The problem with this simplification is that complexity is reduced from grey to black &amp; white. Binaries: good and bad guys.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, reality isn\u2019t so simple. It\u2019s not as simple as saying: don\u2019t meet your heroes. Don\u2019t put them on pedestals. Don\u2019t have high standards. We can choose how we judge those in the public eye. Human beings are flawed, but what you do with that information is a personal choice.<\/p>\n<p>Otto English\u2019s history book, <em>Fake Heroes<\/em>, explores how beloved figures for some, like John F. Kennedy or Mother Teresa, have been airbrushed and inflated legacies, pushing aside darker, uncomfortable moral or character failings. Figures like Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi have been reevaluated for their racist beliefs. Does this change their historical significance and roles? No.<\/p>\n<p>Nuance doesn\u2019t have to be excusatory in the pursuit of truth. You must first acknowledge that truth has more than two sides; balance isn\u2019t inherent. Different forms of hurt and harm aren\u2019t equal. Page isn\u2019t comparable to Scrull due to their private friendship. Yet, for those deeply connected with Page\u2019s ideas, the hurt can be real and deep.<\/p>\n<p>In wrestling, I\u2019ve argued elsewhere that <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/08\/13\/wrestling-with-outrage-can-disgraced-wrestlers-find-redemption\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">retribution and restoration are possible, but require immense effort and hard work. Regardless, forgiveness is out of the wrongdoer&#8217;s power<\/a>. Ultimately and individually, with Page or any other controversial figure, we judge based on our ethics and moral lines. Whether you consider their humanity or capacity for errors is complex. It\u2019s not a one-size-fits-all model. It\u2019s personal.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Hangman Adam Page makes the case to his former tag team <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KennyOmegamanX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@KennyOmegamanX<\/a> that he will be the NEXT AEW World Champion!<\/p>\n<p>Watch <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AEWDynamite?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#AEWDynamite<\/a> LIVE on TBS &amp; HBO Max <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/E4BdupYbkh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/E4BdupYbkh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AEW\/status\/2016680784438947940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 29, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><amp-ad data-block-on-consent=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"600\" layout=\"fixed\" data-multi-size=\"300x250,300x600\" data-multi-size-validation=\"false\" type=\"doubleclick\" data-slot=\"\/15188745,22512265771\/FS-lastwordonsports-AMP\/AMP-2\" data-enable-refresh=\"30\" data-lazy-fetch=\"true\" data-loading-strategy=\"1.25\" rtc-config=\"{ &quot;vendors&quot;: { &quot;t13&quot;: { &quot;TAG_ID&quot;: &quot;4f799893-5665-4629-b0fc-8b97d3569fd6&quot;, &quot;ACCOUNT_ID&quot;: &quot;9a3c6c23-453a-4cba-b419-30b908f39a50&quot; }, &quot;aps&quot;: { &quot;PUB_ID&quot;: &quot;600&quot;, &quot;PUB_UUID&quot;: &quot;16268e26-dabe-4bf4-a28f-b8f4ee192ed3&quot;, &quot;PARAMS&quot;: { &quot;amp&quot;: &quot;1&quot; } }, &quot;criteo&quot;: { &quot;NETWORK_ID&quot;: &quot;4905&quot;, &quot;ZONE_ID&quot;: &quot;1382491&quot;, &quot;PUBLISHER_SUB_ID&quot;: &quot;FS-lastwordonsports-AMP-2&quot; }, &quot;medianet&quot;: { &quot;CID&quot;: &quot;8CU8ZT2C4&quot; } } }\"><\/amp-ad><\/p>\n<p><em>Header photo \u2013 AEW \u2013 Stay tuned to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"1\" target=\"_self\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a> for more on Hangman Adam Page, AEW, 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 Collision airs Saturday at 8 pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content is available on their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@AEW\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube channel.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The statement &#8220;Hangman&#8221; Adam Page gave to Sports Illustrated about a recent photograph taken with Marty Scrull, a wrestler ostracised during the Speak Out movement in 2020, showed Page\u2019s acceptance that fans are entitled to feel the way they feel about the image and his friendship with a person accused of sexually assaulting an inebriated [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4960,"featured_media":152774,"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":[4677,2,6],"tags":[8232,327],"class_list":["post-152749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aew","category-featured","category-north-america","tag-hangman-adam-page","tag-marty-scurll"],"modified_by":"Steph Franchomme","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152749","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=152749"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152776,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152749\/revisions\/152776"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}