Earlier this afternoon, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported that the “Hangman” Adam Page vs. PAC match which was to take place at AEW Double or Nothing on May 25th, has been called off. According to AEW, this decision came down to creative differences. Therefore, PAC will not be present at AEW’s inaugural pay-per-view event this Saturday. There has been no official replacement match announced as of this writing.
https://twitter.com/wtpoduk/status/1129849956620222464
At the WrestleGate event that took place earlier today, Page and PAC wrestled in an impromptu match, seemingly to hype their future Double or Nothing showdown. Page confronted PAC after the latter claimed that no one could hang with him. The match in question lasted 15 minutes before PAC hit the referee with a low blow, which allowed Page to pick up the disqualification victory. PAC proceeded to layout Page with a chair before he took the microphone. PAC exclaimed, “You can tell all of your little Elite buddies, I’m not coming to Vegas, I’m not coming to Double or Nothing, and I’m not coming to AEW!”
Since winning the Open the Dream Gate Championship, as one of Dragon Gate’s top stars, PAC has been known to take his role in wrestling seriously. He hasn’t lost any singles matches since becoming the champion; any matches he wasn’t victorious in would conclude in questionable fashion, such as DQs and draws. It’s been said that AEW will have at least one more announcement about Double or Nothing; it’s fair to assume that viewers will learn more about this canceled match and changed plans moving forward.
In the midst of this news, AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes tweeted a single statement: “Hangman is the damn best ?” Whether this was in response to the recent news or merely a means of praise toward an AEW talent is up for interpretation.
https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes/status/1129848841971351560
Sutter’s Synopsis: With Double or Nothing being only a week away, AEW supporters and critics probably didn’t expect news of this magnitude to drop. For many fans, the Page/PAC match was the most anticipated, at least from an in-ring standpoint. Page has grown tremendously since adopting the “Hangman” persona, while PAC has been a top-tier competitor even before developing his foul, dangerous persona. Needless to say, the cancellation of this match was nothing short of a disappointment.
Now that AEW Double Or Nothing Page/PAC match is called off, one must wonder what will be done in order to fill this void. It’s been heavily rumored that a former WWE star, will be making his way to AEW, so perhaps he will take PAC’s place against Page. Perhaps AEW will allow one of its confirmed talent to wrestle Page, providing them with a platform they wouldn’t have had otherwise. Whatever the case may be, as a long-time fan of PAC, I can’t help but feel upset over this bulletin.
