Questions and quotes, July 10, 2024: Nothing is forever

It starts with the eyes. Hangman Adam Page had a crazed look in his eyes, dried blood on his face, and fury in his voice.

"I GAVE THEM EVERYTHING. AND THEY CHOSE HIM."

We all know how it feels to reach our breaking point. What we don't always have, however, is the outlet to express that anger. That rock bottom feeling. That hopelessness. Hangman gave voice to that feeling.

"THEY CHOSE HIM."

My emotional investment in Hangman's first title win was unlike anything I have experienced as a wrestling fan. He was the obvious good guy, the main character of AEW. And his connection with fans was real. Hangman is genuine. He's vulnerable, he's honest, and he's still a badass cowboy.

It was a long story, one with a clear payoff on the other side of painful moments, lessons learned, and overcoming the odds. We went on that journey with Hangman. We celebrated the triumph.

The referee counted three that night in Minneapolis. Hangman had defeated Kenny Omega to become world champion. The crowd erupted, a pop that was years in the making. Arms thrust straight up in the air, fans with real tears of joy, and a "cowboy shit" chant that lasted for weeks.

Thinking about it that night, it seemed impossible that Hangman could be anything other than the hero of AEW's story.

Of course, that's not how wrestling works. That's not how life works. Nothing is forever.

This too shall pass. It's a mantra that's comforting when times are tough. But it applies to the good times, too. Look where we find ourselves now with our beloved Hangman.

"They chose him."

Hangman gave the AEW universe everything. A story years in the making. A triumph that made people believe. A champion. A face of the company. But nothing is forever.

Now we have Hangman Adam Page, a broken man. A man with nothing else to lose. A man who is out for blood.

Look out, Swerve.

Yes, they are chanting for Roman Reigns

If there was one dynamic over the past several years that felt permanent, it was the shared fatigue among fans with Roman as the top guy in WWE. The story turned stale. It felt forced. Any buzz for Roman was temporary and replaced in short order with the resigned sighs of fans who wanted something different.

The Bloodline’s story over the last two years has done wonders for a number of guys, nobody more than Roman. Even so, imagine going back in time and telling those burned out fans that they would be eagerly anticipating Roman’s return in just a few years.

Nothing is forever. Fans aren’t just over their years of Roman fatigue. They are chanting for him. The pop is going to make the building shake when he comes back.

Last we saw Roman, he was still a vicious heel. That slow turnabout was something of a surprise in its own right after years of positioning him as a baby face. Now he will come back as one of the biggest baby faces in all of wrestling, and he got there without appearing on TV since his lost at Wrestlemania.

Look out, Solo.

Is Britt Baker taking up the battle to protect AEW?

Britt Baker and Mercedes Moné didn’t waste any time. Their feud is off and running, with a collision inevitably coming at Wembley Stadium later this summer at All In.

An AEW original, Britt talked about the work she did to build the women’s division that Mercedes is now claiming as her domain.

Is this a do-over? Did Hangman hand off the task of protecting the company to another AEW original? Will Mercedes have thicker skin than the man named Phil?

Nothing is forever. AEW still feels like it has to defend itself. Even five years in, the company is justifying its existence. Folding that into stories can work. I definitely think it can work here. But then I also hope the time for these stories passes, with AEW no longer feeling the need to pick at these existential threads.

That said, this already feels like one of the biggest rivalries in the company. That’s the case after these two women have had exactly one stare down and one confrontation. There’s already a buzz, that little something extra that makes it stand out among the many stories unfolding across the hours of wrestling each week.

Starting the celebration while Britt was still in the ring was a nice touch, by the way.

MJF is really back

Nothing is forever. MJF has proven this twice in the last year or so.

In the early days of AEW, I was skeptical that we would ever see MJF as anything other than a heel. Yet there he was as the top baby face in the company for much of 2023, albeit with his own spin on it as people enthusiastically called him a scumbag. It was a sustained run as the good guy.

But if ever there was something that would pass, it was MJF as a baby face. Having fully turned heel once again, he is really back now. With his sights set on Will Ospreay, he is setting up the early stages of what could be a classic rivalry.

It’s not exactly the same MJF, however, as evidenced by the dark version of the Burberry scarf. It must be from their goth collection.

Yes, Drew McIntyre is really still the bad guy

Tell the story with the names removed: one guy is chasing the other guy around, sneaking into buildings to cost him victories. His tactics are underhanded. He is obsessed with costing his rival, again and again, whatever it takes to prevent him from winning.

The guy costing the other guy is the bad guy, right? That story makes sense with the heel harassing the baby face, with a logical conclusion where the good guy finally overcomes the extra obstacles and emerges victorious.

Welp.

Punk is the good guy. Drew is the heel, I guess. Count me among the fans who are hoping for Drew to eventually outsmart or overcome Punk and get his big win. One way or another, this story will continue to blur the lines between good and evil. It’s just so darn confusing when the fans still, inexplicably, have their choice for who the good guy is.

Was this the biggest pop of the week?

Nothing is forever. Liv Morgan had to know that her time to have fun messing with Dominic Mysterio was fleeting. This too shall pass: it also applies to the opportunity to harass someone at work.

Rhea Ripley is back. We all knew the fans would go crazy for her return. The moment did not disappoint.

In the upset of the week, Hangman’s mustache isn’t the best mustache in this newsletter.