Samoa Joe Snaps After Loss, Attacks “Hangman” Page

“Hangman” Adam Page is still the AEW Men’s World Champion. In the main event of the AEW WrestleDream pay-per-view from St. Louis, Missouri, Page defeated his challenger, Samoa Joe, in a hard-hitting and dramatic battle to retain his championship. The match was the culmination of a rivalry built on Joe’s claims that Page was a “fraudulent” champion who had been protected by Joe’s own faction, The Opps, on his road to the title. Page, who had never defeated Joe one-on-one, was looking to finally prove that he was the better man and a worthy champion. The bout was a physical war, with both men trading heavy blows and looking for a decisive victory, with the St. Louis crowd firmly behind the champion.

The match was filled with dramatic near falls that had the audience on the edge of their seats. At one point, “Hangman” Page managed to escape a Muscle Buster attempt from Joe and counter with his own signature move, the Deadeye, but was only able to get a two-count. The “Samoan Submission Machine” continued to pour on the pressure, but Page’s resilience proved to be the deciding factor. The champion was able to fight back, avoid Joe’s devastating offense, and finally connect with a massive Buckshot Lariat to secure the pinfall victory and retain his AEW Men’s World Championship.

However, the celebration for Page was cut short. After the match, a visibly frustrated Samoa Joe and his fellow Trios Champions from The Opps, Powerhouse Hobbs and Katsuyori Shibata, entered the ring. While it initially looked like they might be showing respect to the champion, Joe snapped. He led a vicious three-on-one assault on the exhausted “Hangman” Page, beating him down. The segment concluded with Samoa Joe hoisting Page onto the turnbuckle and delivering a brutal Muscle Buster to the man who had just defeated him, making a violent statement and seemingly turning heel in the process.