Hangman Adam Page Discusses His Depression Following WWE Tryout
On the Wednesday episode of The Wrestling Inc. Daily podcast, Wrestling Inc. Managing Editor Nick Hausman sat down with Adam Page of The Elite to discuss his new children's book "Adam and The Golden Horseshoe". The two also discussed Page's early wrestling career. Page noted that when he was starting out, WWE was the only goal for wrestlers since a viable alternative like AEW did not exist.
"I guess when I started wrestling, I guess it's been, whew, 12 years since I started wrestling," Page reflected. "There was really only one way to make a living. It was if you got signed to WWE, that was the end-all-be-all. Everything that you did was an attempt to get a job there. It was not to be a better wrestler. It was not to gain a following. The only end goal was to be in WWE, so you could pay your bills with wrestling.
"That's changed a lot, obviously, these past few years. Man, I'm just glad to be a part of something that's kind of helping change that, I guess. So thinking back over like formative years, the things that I worry about then are just not even remotely a consideration at this point."
Page had a tryout with WWE but nothing came from it. Page admitted that he was depressed and questioned whether he should stay in the business or not.
"I mean, I guess like when you're 18-19, you start doing that kind of stuff. You feel so close to the only thing you think matters at the time," Page described. "You think getting that job is the only thing matters, and you feel so close, so your so enthused, but then nothing ever happens after you go. And then you get pretty damn depressed about it, and you sort of consider, if this is the only avenue to make it in wrestling, and you show up and nothing happens, you start to wonder like, 'can I even keep doing this? What's the point?'"
WWE later tried to reach out to Page in 2018, but Page has said that WWE was no longer important to him and that he strives for a creative outlet.
There have been reports that AEW is working on launching a second TV show, and AEW President Tony Khan has teased other upcoming projects. Page was asked if AEW could add in a children's TV show along with the children's books that have been released under The Elite Team series.
"You know, I don't know. I mean, not anything that I've been involved in," Page admitted. "Obviously, there's room for everything. I've kind of felt like in the past decade or two, maybe, I don't know, WWE's product has been largely, I don't want to say geared towards kids, but kid-friendly, kid-accessible. And I feel like wanting to be something different than the thing that already exists.
"We are, you know, not necessarily adult-only or overly adult or certainly not something that kids can watch and enjoy. But I feel like AEW's niche is to be something that appeals a little bit more to adults and children. That being said, what comes in future, I don't know. It's not really my place to say."
"Adam and The Golden Horseshoe" is now available for purchase at www.trismbooks.com. Page's full interview aired as part of a recent episode of our podcast, The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as it's released Monday – Friday afternoon by clicking here.