Hangman Page credits ‘Being The Elite’ for AEW’s creation.
AEW officially launched in 2019 when The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes, Adam Page, and Tony Khan joined forces to form All Elite Wrestling. While The Young Bucks and Omega continue to serve as EVPs, Cody Rhodes has since moved on from the company.
However, their connection with fans began much earlier through their popular YouTube series, Being The Elite. Primarily run by The Young Bucks, the show offered behind-the-scenes footage of The Elite.
In an interview with Variety, Hangman Page reflected on the major role Being The Elite played in shaping both his career and the creation of AEW. “When I start talking about my career and what I’ve been through, I can’t talk about it without mentioning Being the Elite, what it meant for wrestling, and how really, AEW wouldn’t have existed without it. That was the real vehicle that created a connection with fans, and started a movement, a following.”
“For me personally, ‘BTE,’ in its entirety, was probably the most fun I have ever had in wrestling. It’s hard to imagine that at the end of the day. It will always be the most fun I have ever had in professional wrestling, because these guys are my best friends, the people that I’m spending as much or more time with every week than I am with my own family.”
“We all love the same thing. We’re all creative people. Getting to do that together never felt like work. I guess it wasn’t work, but it never felt like it either, it was always fun. And it was something we were passionate about. A lot of times we would be up in the middle of the night. For the cruise Halloween episode. I didn’t sleep for a couple days trying to do it, and that was never a burden.”
“It was just like ‘Wow, I haven’t slept at all, I’ve been working,’ but it was such a fun thing to do, such a privilege. The longer it went on, the more we started to recognize the fruits of our labor; we would do Ring of Honor or New Japan [Pro Wrestling] shows, and it felt like the crowd was there to see ‘BTE’ a lot of times.”
“The crowds were bigger, the viewership was bigger, and ultimately it ended up being All Elite Wrestling. But at the same time, you had the sense that us goofing off, us having fun, is changing the landscape of wrestling and in a very positive way. It’s such a cool thing to be a part of.”
Hangman Page won the 2025 Owen Hart Foundation Cup Tournament this weekend. Catch up on everything that went down at AEW Double Or Nothing here.
Read More: Kenny Omega Reveals The Real Reason Why Being The Elite Ended
