ARTICLE AD
Bret Hart is one of the most influential and beloved professional wrestlers of all time, with no shortage of performers today who have taken inspiration from the WWE Hall of Famer. Speaking on "Busted Open Radio," former ECW and WWE star Tommy Dreamer shared that "Hangman" Adam Page is one of today's wrestlers who most reminds him of the legendary Hart.
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"When [Page] was a babyface, I'm like, 'This guy's like ... Bret Hart,'" Dreamer said. "Bret Hart [was] one of the greatest babyfaces of all time. He was a heel and then [had] his rise as a babyface, through hard work, through everything that he was. But Bret's heel run was next level, too, because what did he do? He turned it towards the people."
According to Dreamer, shifting the blame outwards at the audience is a classic way for a heel to further establish their character. It's something Hart did as a villain, and the radio hosts cited Drew McIntyre in WWE as someone who is doing right now. Dreamer feels that Page should do the same thing if he wants to push this version of his character forward.
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Page spent much of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 locked in a heated feud with current AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland and, by the end of it, Page had established himself as a full-fledged heel for the first time in the promotion. After taking some time off earlier this year, he returned with a vengeance in the summer, making it to the finals of the Owen Hart Cup before losing to Bryan Danielson.
Last night's "AEW Dynamite" saw Page defeat Jay Lethal, following up on issues between Page and Jeff Jarrett that developed during the tournament. It seems likely that Page and Jarrett will settle those issues with a match in the near future.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.