Why is Adam Page called Hangman? And where did his wrestling name come from? Keep reading to find out that and more
“Hangman” Adam Page recently defeated Adam Cole in a huge main event at AEW Revolution 2022 to defend his AEW Championship. He previously defeated Lance Archer, Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega to hold onto his well earned championship over the past few months.
During the AEW Championship run, Adam Page’s name has become synonymous with great matches, heartfelt promos and incredible character moments. But did you know that Adam Page is not “Hangman’s” real name?
In this article, we’ll reveal where Adam Page got his wrestling name, why he called himself Adam Page and what Adam Page’s real name is.
Check out Adam Page’s best matches right here on Atletifo
Adam Page Wrestling Name
In an recent interview according to 411Mania, Adam Page was inspired to create his ring name by two people.
One was a close friend and fellow wrestler, and the other was a world famous guitarist who inspired a young Adam Page by his incredible music.
“I was trying to come up with a fake wrestling name when I was younger and just mashed together a bunch of names. I ended up with Adam, the first name of my ACW foe and real-life best friend, and Page from Jimmy Page, guitarist of Led Zeppelin with whom I was obsessed as a teenager.”
Adam Page was inspired by his friend Adam, a fellow ACW wrestler, and guitarist Jimmy Page from Lad Zeppelin. I can’t say I’ve seen much inspired by the band in Page’s wrestling career so far, so maybe it was just the name he liked rather than the influence of the band.
Adam Page’s real name is Stephen Woltz, which doesn’t quite roll off the tongue as well as Hangman Adam Page does.
But why is Adam Page called Hangman?
Why is Adam Page called Hangman?
Adam Page is called Hangman due to needing to differentiate himself with fellow AEW star Adam Cole whilst the pair wrestled together in Bullet Club.
Page joined the group in 2016 in Ring of Honour, turning heel in the process. He did so by hanging former TNA Champion Chris Sabin by his neck with a noose.
He began wearing the noose to the ring, and continued this when wrestling in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Soon after the move over the Japan, Adam Cole joined Bullet Club.
With Cole being a former ROH Champion and a huge star on the independents, Adam Page felt he needed a new moniker to help stand out from his fellow Adam.
He immediately thought of the nickname “Hangman”, but at first had reservations about the name. He quickly asked fellow Bullet Club member Doc Gallows if he was okay to use the name, not wanting to sound too similar (The name “Gallows” also has connections with hanging).
Luckily for Page, Gallows had no issue with the names similarities, and Hangman Adam Page was born. It’s lucky he did, because Hangman has been a key part of Adam Page’s cowboy-based gimmick ever since.
He has since dropped the noose he wore to the ring. He tried to be sensitive about it’s use, but the constant reminding of suicide and the history of lynching in the American South caused him to drop the noose entirely, which was a good move in my opinion.
“I had the noose for awhile, and I tried to be as sensitive as I could about in every way I possibly could, but I still had people writing me who were kind about it, but who had family members that had committed suicide and it made them uncomfortable.”
“Or maybe the racial connotations of me carrying a noose were uncomfortable, and I get that. I tried to be really sensitive about it, but it was something I wanted to get away from.” SOURCE
Is Adam Page a real Cowboy?
Adam Page is not a real life cowboy in his day to day life. Whilst he does embody the spirit of Cowboy Shit, as he proved in one of the best AEW promos ever, he is not a cowboy in the traditional sense as people would have expected.
He currently wrestles full time for AEW, and before that worked as a teacher. In fact, he worked as a teacher and a wrestler until 2016, when he first went to wrestle on his first NJPW tour. He was a full time teacher for five years, teaching journalism and graphic design in a Virginia High School.
Did you know why Adam Page is called Hangman? Let us know in the comments or click below to keep reading