Pro Wrestling Contract Season

[RedTwoster]

22 minutes ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

There is a lot of love in this thread for Hangman Page, and rightly so. I took some time to warm to him but he has been consistently excellent for a good few years now so fair play.

I put forward this proposition though. He would be nothing in WWE. The last person with any hint of a cowboy gimmick in WWE was JBL and he only really peaked as Million Dollar Layfield, such as the peak was. Now Hangman is a million times better than JBL but that cowboy stink is difficult to shake off and before you know it you are Braden Walker. I don't remember the last successful top card run with a cowboy gimmick in WWE. That's not to say Hangman couldn't do something else as a gimmick, but it would diminish him either way. 

If WWE did sign Hangman, they’d be paying big money to do so and he’d definitely be pushed. Hangman may be a ‘cowboy’ but he’s not a Vince McMahon interpretation of that. 

Personally, I think he’d end up becoming what Cody Rhodes is now, but at the very least you’d be looking at a Seth Rollins or Drew McIntyre status. 

If AEW had never existed he might have been squandered, but I just can’t see a reality in which he wouldn’t be a top level star for them.

Unless he has a major falling out with Tony Khan, I don’t see him ever jumping, but if he did, he’s getting treated as a big deal.

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

5 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

If WWE did sign Hangman, they’d be paying big money to do so and he’d definitely be pushed. Hangman may be a ‘cowboy’ but he’s not a Vince McMahon interpretation of that

Drew McIntyre is Scottish and wears a kilt and carries a sword, Seamus has been known to carry a shillelagh the Polynesian lads have been fighting over a necklace of flowers and you don't think Hangman would get cowboyed. I wish I had your confidence in WWE booking. 

[DavidB6937]

The unknown is often the WWE audience too. There's no guarantees that someone catches on in both companies in the same way despite good booking.

Hangman has a lot of history in AEW, is beloved by their crowds as one of their own, and it feels like they've been along on the journey with him.

Take him out of that context, whether it's in WWE or anywhere else, and you arguably lose a lot of what's made him as successful as he is now. You're not guaranteed to be able to replicate that.

[RedTwoster]

1 minute ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

Drew McIntyre is Scottish and wears a kilt and carries a sword, Seamus has been known to carry a shillelagh the Polynesian lads have been fighting over a necklace of flowers and you don't think Hangman would get cowboyed. I wish I had your confidence in WWE booking. 

Drew McIntyre hasn’t carried a sword for a long, long time same goes for Sheamus with a shillelagh. Those were very much Vince McMahon tropes, and he’s gone.

As far as the Bloodline go, that’s true but it’s also one of their most successful storylines in decades, so it’s a hard one to pick faults with. 

[Chris B]

45 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Here’s the thing, who is a Megastar in wrestling today? For me Cena was the last one. Logan Paul you could possibly argue, but he’s so part time, that I wouldn’t. Roman is their biggest star and the one WWE have made THE guy, but he’s not a megastar. Show a picture of Roman Reigns to the average person and very few would know his name. There’s no big movies, hardly any appearances outside of the odd talk show spot, TV guest star roles? Nope. The days of WWE being the place you become a Megastar are not there anymore. He’s probably making more money than Hogan and Austin did but there’s no mainstream appeal like they had. 

If talk shows and TV guest star roles had the same level of cache they had 20 years ago, they'd be more on them. 

TV and media have changed. Think about how some of the most famous people around right now are people you had no idea about because we're not having that same shared experience any more.

And also, TV production has changed - there's not as many shows where guest slots in that kind of weekly format happen, because they're often not as episodic. So they probably don't have the same turnaround they used to have.

In some ways, due to social media and YouTube,  I think some of the bigger stars now are bigger than they used to be within a smaller sphere.

[RedTwoster]

3 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

The unknown is often the WWE audience too. There's no guarantees that someone catches on in both companies in the same way despite good booking.

Hangman has a lot of history in AEW, is beloved by their crowds as one of their own, and it feels like they've been along on the journey with him.

Take him out of that context, whether it's in WWE or anywhere else, and you arguably lose a lot of what's made him as successful as he is now. You're not guaranteed to be able to replicate that.

But you could say that about literally anyone. WWE would have to pay big money to land him - from that perspective they’d want to make it work. But WWE fans would recognise him and he’d get a huge reaction. I mean fuck, they knew Jade Cargill and Penta, neither of whom were anywhere near as prominent as Hangman.

It’s true that AEW fans have been on a journey with Page, so you lose that - but you don’t lose his talent. He’s still Hangman Page, and he’s still one of the most talented wrestlers in the industry with mic skills to match his ring work. Of course it’s possible he could flop in the same way it’s possible that anyone could - but you look at what he brings to the table and I think it’s fair to deduce that it’s very unlikely. 

I don’t think he’ll ever make the jump, nor do I want him do - but if he did, he’d be just fine.

[DavidB6937]

2 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

But you could say that about literally anyone. WWE would have to pay big money to land him - from that perspective they’d want to make it work. But WWE fans would recognise him and he’d get a huge reaction. I mean fuck, they knew Jade Cargill and Penta, neither of whom were anywhere near as prominent as Hangman.

It’s true that AEW fans have been on a journey with Page, so you lose that - but you don’t lose his talent. He’s still Hangman Page, and he’s still one of the most talented wrestlers in the industry with mic skills to match his ring work. Of course it’s possible he could flop in the same way it’s possible that anyone could - but you look at what he brings to the table and I think it’s fair to deduce that it’s very unlikely. 

I don’t think he’ll ever make the jump, nor do I want him do - but if he did, he’d be just fine.

You can definitely say it about anyone and it's true. For all the possibilities of a fresh start for people we say need it and may be better in another environment, there's an equal chance that they completely falter.

Talent is talent for sure, but is Toni Storm any more talented now than she was back in WWE? She was hardly an inexperienced rookie at that point.

A change isn't always the best thing and certainly isn't guaranteed to come with success. It's nice to think that talent always wins out but that's not always the case.

The WWE audience might just think he's a bloke who has come in and stolen Logan Paul's moveset.

[Chili]

38 minutes ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

Drew McIntyre is Scottish and wears a kilt and carries a sword, Seamus has been known to carry a shillelagh the Polynesian lads have been fighting over a necklace of flowers and you don't think Hangman would get cowboyed. I wish I had your confidence in WWE booking. 

I mean really that's absolutely on WWE in this hypothetical scenario and fucking it up and not on Adam Page's shoulders. I also like that's basically a cowboy in attitude and his background. He's basically a sexy Stan Hansen, a shit kicker with the YE-HAW bit reduced to all but part of his original gimmick and that he likes A Texas Death Match. A man who personally I never want to see ever in WWE, essentially the modern version of Sting. The centerpiece star who remains forever loyal because he's paid well and treated as such, which he is. I think he probably himself sees the limit he'd have in WWE and might never go. Obviously that means he'll never dance at the Garden or appear at a Wrestlemania so to some cunt he'd be a 'oh what could have been'. Genuinely the one guy I want to see retire never setting foot on Saudi soil for some blood money shite. I do genuinely feel there's some wrestlers who don't give that much of a toss about going to WWE anymore because if they didn't they'd be seen as lost potential. I do think that's changed. Get paid well with enough creativity to enjoy yourself artistically if that's your thing without the big pressure of not being seen as a somebody because you didn't work for the Trump fuckers.

Edited March 28, 2025 by Chili

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

28 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

Drew McIntyre hasn’t carried a sword for a long, long time same goes for Sheamus with a shillelagh. Those were very much Vince McMahon tropes, and he’s gone.

As far as the Bloodline go, that’s true but it’s also one of their most successful storylines in decades, so it’s a hard one to pick faults with. 

I take your point regarding weaponry but Triple H is certainly showing signs of falling back into Vince booking tropes, like I say I admire your confidence. Like you say though I don't see Hangman in WWE soon. 

While we are in a free ranging discussion of contracts mood can we agree that Okada is full on Nakamura-ing his time in AEW. Absolutely phoning it in on a retirement contract. Fair play to him he must be fucked after carrying New Japan for so long. 

[RedTwoster]

5 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

You can definitely say it about anyone and it's true. For all the possibilities of a fresh start for people we say need it and may be better in another environment, there's an equal chance that they completely falter.

Talent is talent for sure, but is Toni Storm any more talented now than she was back in WWE? She was hardly an inexperienced rookie at that point.

A change isn't always the best thing and certainly isn't guaranteed to come with success. It's nice to think that talent always wins out but that's not always the case.

The WWE audience might just think he's a bloke who has come in and stolen Logan Paul's moveset.

This statement, I don’t agree with. There’s a chance they might falter, but I wouldn’t say it’s an equal chance - particularly when there’s big money involved, which there would be in this case.

Toni Storm is a different kettle of fish, she was as well as to have been a free agent given how unestablished she was in WWE. Same goes for Swerve, but my how that’s changed in both cases.

With Hangman, WWE would be getting an already established star, with a financial investment to make it work. Not that I think they’d have to do much in order for that to happen. 

Funnily enough though, I think some of what you’re saying is relevant to MJF. I don’t think he’d flop in WWE, but I also think there’s a chance he’d essentially be treated like The Miz. 

2 minutes ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

I take your point regarding weaponry but Triple H is certainly showing signs of falling back into Vince booking tropes, like I say I admire your confidence. Like you say though I don't see Hangman in WWE soon. 

While we are in a free ranging discussion of contracts mood can we agree that Okada is full on Nakamura-ing his time in AEW. Absolutely phoning it in on a retirement contract. Fair play to him he must be fucked after carrying New Japan for so long. 

Yeah, I’ve enjoyed him enough but there’s no part of me that feels like anything would be lost if he left the company.

[mim731]

4 hours ago, BomberPat said:

I don't see anyone else in AEW getting the Cody treatment when brought into WWE; 

 While I agree in 99.9% of cases, I suspect they'd go big for Moxley if they thought it was an option/he was interested, simply for the Shield reunion merch money. 

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

Moxley isnt interested in the money, he cant stab himself with it. I am convinced though that he might be the first wrestler to win a Darwin Award. 

Edited March 28, 2025 by Lion_of_the_Midlands
My mother worked in the arms industry. Selling swords.

[Devon Malcolm]

1 hour ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

Moxley isnt interested in the money

Thank fuck.

[Supremo]

Didn’t The Elite negotiate their most recent contracts as a unit? It’s crazy to think even that a year or two ago, if The Elite negotiated as a unit, Hangman Page would feel like the added bonus to signing The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. Now, Hangman would be the priority, with The Bucks and Kenny as garnish. He’s one of the most talented guys in the business, and arguably the best actor in either company.

It’s a testament to how AEW have built stars and allowed people to develop that the four wrestlers I’d have William Regal contract tampering with are Hangman Page, Swerve Strickland, Toni Storm and Willow. All relative nobodies when they arrived in AEW. Now, the new Four Pillars, only actually good. No Sammy Guevaras.

Edited March 29, 2025 by Supremo

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

39 minutes ago, Supremo said:

No Sammy Guevaras

I'd forgotten he even exists, and honestly I don't mind it.