As he prepares for his sixth appearance at “Full Gear,” reigning AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page has reflected on his success throughout the year. Page became a two-time AEW World Champion when he defeated Jon Moxley at “AEW All In: Texas” back in July. He also found peace with his past rivalry with Swerve Strickland, who helped him pull off the win over Moxley. Speaking to Newsweek Sports, Page said he might look back on 2025 as the best year of his in-ring career to date. “You know, if it wasn’t, I don’t know which one it would be,” Page said. “Yeah, this probably has been the best year of my career, and I had that feeling before when I won the world championship for the first time. I thought at the time it would end up being remembered by me or anyone else as the best year of my career. It was kind of almost a depressing feeling being 30 or however old I was, like, ‘This is as good as it gets,’ but it’s somehow gotten better this year. So, probably yes, this has probably been the best year of my career.” A big part of the storyline leading up to Page’s victory at “All In: Texas” was the journey to finding himself once again. Page’s intense feud with Strickland drove him to turn heel at one point. “Hangman” said he wasn’t exactly convinced that he’d ever return to being AEW’s top face. “No, not really,” Page said. “Since the day I lost the world championship, I kind of thought genuinely that might be it, that I might never regain it. I really believed that I wouldn’t do it again. So, no, I didn’t anticipate that happening this year. Once I was able to maybe make peace within myself about what happened between Swerve and I and countless other things surrounding it, I kind of noticed things turning around for me professionally.” More News: Injured WWE Raw Talent’s Status Receives Update AEW’s Locker Room Morale Page has been with AEW since the company’s infancy back in 2019. “Hangman” discussed whether or not there is more togetherness with the current locker room than in years past. “More or less,” Page said. “It’s kind of hard to compare things like that. Our locker room is so big. There’s so many people that work in AEW. It is difficult to compare to the first year because at the time the locker room was much smaller. “Your relationships you may have had may have been a little stronger, may have been a little more personal because of you all leaning on each other, but as far as the morale, the feeling of we’re all working towards something together, ultimately, it does echo how AEW felt in its infancy. I’m proud of it, not just in my part, really. I’m more proud of all the other people that come together and continue to make AEW special.” Feud With Samoa Joe Samoa Joe was once an ally of Page in the fight against the Death Riders. Things changed when “Hangman” finally reclaimed the AEW World Heavyweight Championship. Joe challenged Page for the gold in a losing effort at “AEW WrestleDream.” While Joe pretended to embrace “Hangman,” he delivered a clothesline to the titleholder. He then had his stablemates Powerhouse Hobbs and Katsuyori Shibata of The Opps attack Page to solidify the heel turn. Page admitted that he wasn’t anticipating Joe to be one of his contenders given “The Samoan Submission Machine” was focused on the trios division. “It’s not really something I saw coming so much,” Page said. “He was trios champion. He had been involved with Death Riders, and they’re still a thing after I beat Jon Moxley for the championship. They were kind of out of sight, out of mind for me in that they continued the battle with the Death Riders. “Whatever they wanted from the Death Riders, they hadn’t gotten it yet, Joe in particular. As far as title contenders, I’m never someone to shake my head or not consider someone like Samoa Joe, but he wasn’t someone at the forefront of my mind. I do think he showed his colors a little in what he did after our last pay-per-view.” Joe’s Recent Retirement Comments Joe has been telling reporters that unless something draws his interest, he will likely retire once his current AEW deal expires, which isn’t exactly on the horizon. “Hangman” revealed whether or not he is surprised that Joe is open about his retirement window. “No, it’s not [surprising],” Page said. “The thing about Joe and so many others like Joe, who have been around for a long time, it’s hard to imagine someone like that not existing in AEW or just in wrestling in general, but I can understand it. As I’ve gotten a little older and had a family myself, I’m starting to now kind of feel the years catching up to me. People maybe watching live, or you watch it on television; you don’t see it, but we have a shelf life. We can only do this for so long. I don’t know in his mind where he’s at in that journey, but I can certainly understand the thought process.” What Does Full Gear Mean to Page? Page has only missed one “Full Gear” event, and that was back in 2022. He’s had many memorable moments at the pay-per-view, including his first AEW world title win over Kenny Omega in 2021. The fan favorite talked about whether or not “Full Gear” holds more meaning to him than some other shows. “For me personally, yeah, maybe a little bit,” Page admitted. “I’ve had a lot of things happen at Full Gear. I won my first world championship at Full Gear against Kenny. I had a Texas [deathmatch] with Swerve at Full Gear, and this year I’ll be defending the championship now in my second reign against Samoa Joe. “So, I’ve had a lot of stuff happen with Full Gear with me. It does hold a special place with me, but also just because of the name of the pay-per-view. I don’t know how much or not the pay-per-view was named after me, but in AEW’s infancy on ‘Being The Elite,’ I had kind of a storyline going on with Pac where I was doing the Full Gear challenge, and they ended up naming the pay-per-view after that essentially.” AEW’s Future As AEW heads into 2026, the company will look to continue to find ways to ensure its business is growing. “Hangman” believes the talent will continue to put on heavily praised performances going into the new year. “Just continuing to build on the momentum that we have,” Page said. “I think AEW is as strong as it’s ever been. I think AEW shows the bar is consistently raised every single week. It has gotten really difficult and challenging to not just meet that bar but to raise it. So, the in-ring action is out of this world. It’s at its pinnacle of professional wrestling, and I can’t imagine what it would be in the coming years.” The women’s division also has Page optimistic about the future of AEW. The top male titleholder in the company is happy to see a new women’s tag team title enter the fray. “I think our women’s division is the best that it’s ever been right now,” Page said. “It’s only going to continue to get better. That’s something that I’m proud of AEW for, and I’m proud of all the people who’ve worked hard to make that happen.” Recently, history was made during a special edition of “AEW Dynamite.” For the first time, women competed in the violent “Blood & Guts” match. Page said it’s the result of the female talent stepping up and delivering for the fans when they’re called upon. “When given those kinds of opportunities, they show out,” Page said. “I am proud of the entire division. They’ve been great this year.” What to Expect at AEW Full Gear Page is set for his next AEW World Championship defense, and it will be a rematch against Joe at “Full Gear 2025” on Nov. 22. “Hangman” believes there could be a key difference this go-around. “I’d hate to think after everything Joe fought for and fought against with the Death Riders, I’d hate to think that he’s going to rely on the same tactics,” Page said. “But I do think that he’s someone who now, admittedly, in the twilight years of his career, is maybe looking at doing whatever it takes regardless of how he feels about those actions to win this world championship one more time. So, that is what I’m looking for.” More News: WWE Championship Changes Hands in Monday Night Raw Shocker Absent WWE Star Resurfaces Backstage During Live Event Former WWE Star’s TNA Wrestling Deal Expiring Soon.
https://www.newsweek.com/sports/wrestling/exclusive-aew-champion-hangman-page-thinks-2025-has-been-his-best-year-11057582