What was a hastily-booked WrestleDream match between Samoa Joe and AEW Men’s World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page has turned into a bloody war for AEW’s top prize. St. Louis watched as the veteran Joe attempted to dominate the young Page, but while Page scored his win on paper, he left the Chaifetz Arena only with the help of security guards as his body, broken by The Opps, struggled to carry him home.
The champion found himself overwhelmed in the early goings of the match, as Joe’s brute force tossed him like a ragdoll. Page was only saved by his sheer agility, but all formalities were dashed the moment the fight spilled to the outside. Joe shoved Adam against the barriers, and while Page managed to land some aerial offense onto the Huntington Beach native, a Barrel Kick gone awry caused the champion to start bleeding from his mouth as he began to falter.
Joe continued to wear down on Page, but Page miraculously pushed through to break out of Joe’s typically-lethal submission to land two Buckshot Lariats for the win. Joe, understandably emotional after his loss, was comforted by Katsuyori Shibata and Powerhouse Hobbs. Page attempted to extend his respect to Joe with a handshake and an embrace, only to be swarmed by The Opps not two breaths after. Shibata and Hobbs beat the champion as Joe collected Page’s title, taunting him with it before leading the charge to hoist Page up on the top turnbuckle. Joe laid the AEW Men’s World Championship on the ground before Page, and Shibata and Hobbs unceremoniously tossed the broken champion onto his title to end the night.
Despite the beatdown, Page is set to continue his world title reign at 99 days and counting. So far, Page has defended against contenders like MJF, Jon Moxley, Lee Moriarty, and Kyle Fletcher.
