Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage has been confirmed for the main event feud heading into AEW’s biggest show of 2021: All Out in September. Where many fans have been speculating of this huge dream match taking place sometime this year, following Christian’s surprise debut at Revolution, I don’t think anybody expected it to snub the scheduled match between former AEW Tag Champions Omega and ‘Hangman’ Adam Page.
With no real rhyme or reason, Adam Page has been forced back down the line of contenders to Omega’s championship, despite being heavily positioned as the next challenger to his title over the past few weeks. Fans were really starting to invest in the build to Page/Omega II, with The Dark Order getting involved and even challenging for the Impact Tag Team Championships against Omega’s lackeys, The Good Brothers. Page had never looked like more of a star, so it’s a shame that the destined title match between the two now won’t be taking place.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that Omega/Page can’t happen again somewhen down the line, but you’d think AEW might have wanted to see that story through to the end while it was still hot. Now that Christian Cage has been slotted in place of the ‘Hangman’, it really discredits his star power and suggests that he isn’t quite ready to main event another AEW pay-per-view, especially not when there’s former WWE talent on the roster.
Granted, AEW have stayed true to their philosophy of ‘wins and losses matter’, and considering that Adam Page’s win-loss record has seen him fall from the number 1 ranked position to somewhere past even number 5, I guess they’re at least being consistent in their approach.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t bode well for Page’s future, especially considering the sheer amount of talent that have since arrived on the AEW roster. With the likes of Malakai Black, Andrade El Idolo and even the fan-favourite Feugo Del Sol all vying for a chance at the top spot, it’s going to be increasingly harder for ‘Hangman’ to be taken seriously and get another pop at the champ.
Quite frankly, now was his biggest opportunity to prove himself and stand out amongst this growing traffic jam of talent. I have no doubt that Page will continue to impress in his mini-feuds as part of the new Dark Order, but there’s no way he’s going to once again make it to this level of competition without a monster push behind him. Fans will lose interest and assume that his short runs are just that, nothing else worth getting invested in when there are other bigger feuds taking place that warrant more excitement.
Herein lies the problem of AEW’s massive talent drive, signing as many of the recently released WWE superstars as they possibly can for the sake of having such a deep roster. It’s great for those that are signed, as not only do they get to wash out the bitter taste of WWE’s budget cuts but they also get to ride off the momentum of being a someone, instantly granting them access to a string of victories and a top place on the contendership rankings. Meanwhile, wrestlers like Adam Page, Jungle Boy and Orange Cassidy, homegrown talent that have been on the cusp of a singles championship match for months, get lost in the shuffle and are relegated to curtain jerkers and mid-card title feuds at best.
Case and point with the now set match between Kenny Omega and Christian Cage. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very excited to see this match take place at All Out (and Rampage for the Impact Championship), but it does concern me that AEW are already falling into the same pitfalls as WCW back in their heyday. These criticisms aren’t exactly uncommon amongst the fanbase, so let’s hope that AEW get this out of their system before more of their young, upcoming stars become complacent and leave for potentially less-greener pastures.
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